I’ve worked for the same company for 5 years. 3.5 of those as an apprentice. As a result my pay was quite low but very good in comparison to the wages of some other apprentices I went to school with.
I’m about to finish my apprenticeship as a welder and it will come time to renegotiate my salary.
This is the first place I’ve had the chance to do such a thing. They give about a $1 per hr raise per year generally but the rest is up to you.
Notoriously they say we’re not allowed to discuss our wages. Big red flag. Also big ‘we’re a family!!!!’ rhetoric (but of course it’s a one way street ).
There is no transparency when it comes to peoples salaries/ hourly rates, I know a few in my department but most people are too scared to discuss. This puts me in a tough position when it comes to negotiating. I’m usually on the back foot asking for things because the attitude is usually ‘you should be grateful just working in this industry ‘
I work out a lot of people who are completely burned out but scared to ask for part time or 4 days because they make it very very hard to do so and have made people redundant over less than that.
They pay below the median for welders / tradesmen and get away with it generally because it’s in the arts and regarded as a ‘cool job’
I like my job and the people I work with but it’s getting to the point I value my free time more than money. I’m so exhausted I’d be prepared to walk unless the situation improves.
There’s a company meeting every week and I want to ask a pointed question about why we’re not allowed to discuss our pay. Can anyone offer advice on this or provide a succinct phrasing they can’t ignore?
Cheers