Recently, people start to ask government to increase minimum wage. However, many company owners said that ‘If se increase workers’ wage, we have to fire some workers.” In addition, Korea government doesn’t check that owners give their workers minimum wage. In this situation, many people who work as a security guard or kindergarten teacher cannot receive their money fairly.
The general argument made by Margaret Thatcher in 1797, when she became prime minister in UK, is that the minimum wage system is useless for developing economic. More specifically, Margaret Thatcher argues that the minimum wage system weakens national competitiveness and this system has a bad influence to increase the unemployment rate. She said that, “Government should not intervene market for increasing economic.” In this passage, Margaret Thatcher is suggesting that UK have to abolish the minimum wage system. In conclusion, Margaret Thatcher’s belief is that when UK abolishes the minimum wage system, UK can get better national competitiveness.
But according to David Cameron’s view, Margaret Thatcher must be wrong, because the system is not related to unemployment rate. More specifically, David Cameron seems to believe that there is no relationship with hiring and firing. For example, David Cameron said that, “The minimum wage system is more successful system than people expect. The system is a factor that brings unemployment,” in 2010 at BBC. David Cameron seems to disagree with Margaret Thatcher on the issue of this system. Margaret Thatcher thinks that this system is useless, while David Cameron maintain that this system is successful policy. Therefore, David Cameron concludes that he try to develop and keep this system.
In fact, I strongly agree with David Cameron’s claim that the minimum wage system is useful for the country. I think that Korea also have to develop this system. David Cameron’s claim that, “This system is not related to unemployment rate also it is successful policy,” is correct. This is because after UK started again this system in 1997, the unemployment decreased. In 1998, the unemployment rate is 7.5%, but in 2003, the rate is 4.3%. In addition, it is worth considering make minimum wage committee. For example, UK made independence non-government minimum committee and the committee suggests the minimum wage every year. Therefore, I must conclude that Korea also have to have friendly attitude about minimum wage for workers.
Korea really needs to increase the minimum wage. 2011, the minimum wage is 4320won per hour. However, this is not enough to live stably. If workers work at company 8 hours a day, after 1 month, they can only get 691200 won. As time goes by, price is increasing fast. People need to earn more money to keep their life. Government and company have to feel responsibility about employs’ life. Also, they should try to make better result for workers.
Jinsoo,
I agree with all you are arguing: but sadly, you are making the mistake of arguing with the argument presented by your opponent, rather than the hidden argument inherent in their actions and arguments. When Margaret Thatcher’s argument focused on national competitiveness, she was setting a priority (that Britain be competitive with other nations– above other priorities (such, as, say, a higher quality of life for British citizens within a moderate level of competitiveness). Moreover, she was not just arguing that governments should not intervene in the economy: she was also arguing that governments should not intervene on behalf of citizens, but should instead allow companies to use citizens however they see fit, and even be allowed to impoverish portions of the citizenry to benefit the nation (in the abstract) or small proportions of the nation’s population.
I also think it wouldn’t be hard to find arguments to support your thesis beyond just siding with Cameron and against Thatcher. For example, you mention that minimum wage for a worker in Korea working full time would add up to less than 700,000 won. But you don’t go on to show how this necessitates a lot of people working multiple jobs, or living in substandard conditions, or remaining with their parents until (or even after) marriage — and how this causes the economic behavior of Koreans to be focused on saving and on stable investments (like real estate) and thus slows down growth of new, cutting edge businesses apart from the big companies favored by the banks and government; you don’t show how having this kind of wage possible for a portion of the population encourages people to drop out of the workforce and subsist on other income, and arguably how it directs some (including some of the most desperate) into illegal fields (like the sex trade, organized crime, and so on) which affect (ie. harm) Korea generally. You don’t argue about how this maps onto sex-discrimination (with, I’d bet, more women getting paid this ridiculously low minimum-wage than men). All of these are useful points you didn’t explore, in a third body paragraph that you could have written.
But for all that, the above is pretty good…