NOT unexpectedly, the business community is getting hot under the collar and shouting loud and clear that the new minimum wage rates soon to come into force will cause chaos in the job market.

And more importantly, from the perspective of employers, hit their bottom lines.

Of course, as is always the case when employers are forced to pay a living wage they always find excuses not to.

Or use the threat of making their existing employees redundant etc etc.

As long as there is always someone out there to toil in boring, repetitive and unrewarding jobs that many of us wouldn’t want to do given the choice, many employers couldn’t give a damn.

All they ever care about is net profit.

Never mind that what many people earn is usually never enough to live on.

More often than not, it has to be topped up with benefit money funded by the tax payer.

So look out next April when the minimum wage hits £7.20 for those over 25 years of age.

Prices will go up.

And I suspect that more and more people will be employed who are under the age of 25, as these workers will not be entitled to the new wage rates.

All those loud squeals from those who own businesses will no doubt be given plenty of publicity.

And those who have to try and get by on slave wages will be ignored as usual.

Andrew Martin Abbotsbury Road Weymouth