Salaries, wages and compensations are supposed to be sufficient to cater for a worker’s basic and personal expenses. As much as it is appreciated that there is no adequate income because human needs are insatiable, low-earning workers in different parts of the world faces similar economic and social welfare problems (Starr158). This paper discusses the major problems facing low earners.
Housing and homelessness
Low earner hardly afford good housing; they live in houses that do not meet the standards of an adequate housing systems, the reason why they opt for such houses is because they have limited funds to pay for houses in with good amenities. when in the houses, they lack security, they do not have steady supply of water and electricity. To the extreme, mostly in the developing countries, they live in informal settlements where they are exposed to diseases, social crimes and high rate of crime.
Health services
Low wage earners have a problem accessing quality, timely and reliable health care services; this is so because of their location that may not have a health facility and when the facility is there, they cannot afford the costs charged comfortable.
It has been noted that low earners have a higher tendency of giving birth to more children; the demand for health services for pregnant mothers and children are high thus maintaining quality health care services becomes an issue (Morley 1915).
Nutrition problems and clothing
Food and clothing are human basic needs that costs a fortune, low earners do not have the adequate funds to afford good nutrition; they depend with the affordable foods which might not be of the right nutritional level.
Lack of good food retardates their growth late and leads to nutritional related disease like kwashiorkor and miasmas. When the population is suffering, then they can hardly think straight thus, they continue to ravish in poverty.
Cloths define the character of a person to some extent; when the people are not able to afford proper clothing; they suffer from psychological stress since they feel they are not respected in the community; on the other hand, the communities may judge them harshly from how they look. To satisfy the need for proper clothing, low earners buy second hand cloths that have their complications.
Lack of social Amenities
The locations that low-earners life are not well addressed as far as social amenities are concerned, most governments hardly provide adequate amenities like playing fields, fire fighters, roads , schools, colleges or even Universities. The main reason for lack of the facilities is that there is no space or the available amenities are stressed that they are not doing any good to the communities.
In some cases where the services have been developed, the great number of people looking forward to use them overwhelms them. For example in slums, in case of fire, local councils efforts to assist communities is mostly hampered by lack of way as people have build along and on roads that the fire fighting machines cannot pass (Avraham and Roter 56-67).
Conclusion
Different countries have different minimal wages rates; however low earners face similar problems, the problems include housing and homelessness, poor nutrition and clothing, lack of social amenities, poor health services, and unequal distribution of resources. To solve the above problems, governments should ensure it looks into individual challenge on its own and seek a lasting solution.
Works Cited
Avraham, Doron, and Roter Raphael. Low wage earners and low wage subsidies. Michigan: Hebrew University press, 1978.
Morley, Gunderson. Minimum Wages: Issues And Options For Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Finance, Feb. 2007. Web.
Starr, Frank. Minimum wage fixing: an international review of practices and problems.London: International Labour Organization, 1981