Wages
Wages refers to the amount of money paid to a worker in return for the work he or she has done or the services he or she has rendered. Wages can be paid daily, weekly, or fortnightly. Wages can also be paid at the end of the month. This is usually called salary.
Income
An income is the total sum of money which a worker earns. This includes his salary and all the allowances he receives.
Reasons why people work
1 People work in order to earn money. They use the money to take care of themselves and members of their family.
2 People work because it is not good to be idle. When people are at work, they do not have the time to do evil.
3 People work to become responsible and to gain respect from other people in society.
4 People work in order to keep their body and mind healthy.
5 By working, people render services to their community and the nation.
6 People work in order to practice what they have learnt at school or at a training outfit.
People do different types of jobs, and they receive different rewards. Some of these rewards can be seen, while some cannot be seen. Examples of such rewards include the following:
1 Workers are paid some amount of money at the end of every month. This form of payment is known as salary or wages.
How workers are rewarded
Workers receiving their salaries from the bank
2 Workers can be rewarded for working hard by promoting them. This means raising their positions. For instance, a worker can be promoted from a clerk to a supervisor.
3 Workers can be rewarded by giving them merit awards and prizes, in order to encourage them and others to work harder.
4 Workers are usually given allowances, such as housing, meal and transport allowances.
5 They are usually given a salary increment every year.
6 Workers sometimes receive bonuses.
Problems of wages and income distribution
1 Most employees are not satisfied with their income because they regard it as too small. A lot of people are looking for jobs, and many companies offer little wages or salaries and are not ready to increase such wages.
2 Many organizations do not pay wages or salaries on time. Sometimes, some workers may not receive their salaries for two or three months because of one reason or the other.
3 Some companies may be experiencing difficulty such as poor sales or mismanagement of funds. Such companies may even close down after some time, leading to non-payment of workers’ salaries.
4 Workers may decide to go on strike in order to fight for their rights in some organizations. Such organizations may decide to sack such workers or even refuse to pay them.
5 Some employers do not recognize their hardworking employees by rewarding them properly.
6 Some organizations keep many of their workers as casual Labourers. This usually means that they would pay the workers little wages, fail to improve their welfare and could sack them any time.
1 Employers of labour and the government should offer better salaries to workers, in order to motivate them to work harder.
2 Employers should pay workers’ salaries on time, so that the employees would
be comfortable and happy.
3 Employers of labour and the government should be concerned about the welfare of their workers, in order to discourage them from going on strike.
4 The government and other employers of labour should create better working conditions for workers, in order to make them comfortable, and to motivate them to work harder.
5 Employing people as casual Labourers should stop. All workers should be employed as permanent workers and free to enjoy every benefit (salary, allowance, leave, promotion) of a worker.
Solutions to the problems of wages and income distribution
1 Employers of labour and the government should offer better salaries to workers, in order to motivate them to work harder.
2 Employers should pay workers’ salaries on time, so that the employees would be comfortable and happy.
3 Employers of labour and the government should be concerned about the welfare of their workers, in order to discourage them from going on strike.
4 The government and other employers of labour should create better working conditions for workers, in order to make them comfortable, and to motivate them to work harder.
5 Employing people as casual Labourers should stop. All workers should be employed as permanent workers and free to enjoy every benefit (salary, allowance, leave, promotion) of a worker.
Strategies & Activities:
Step1 :Teacher revises the previous topic.
Step 2:Teacher introduces the new topic.
Step3:Teacher explains the new topic.
Step4: Teacher welcomes pupils questions.
Step5: Teacher evaluates the pupils
Assessment & Evaluation
1 define wages.
2 define salary.
3 say the difference between a wage and a salary.
4 mention at least five reasons why people work.
5 mention at least three ways of rewarding workers.
6 write at least three problems of income distribution in Nigeria.
7 mention ways of solving those problems.
Exercise
A Choose the best answers for the following questions.
1 The amount of money paid to a particular workers after completing a particular job is called ____________.
A salary B income C wage
2 The total sum of money which a worker earns at the end of every month is called ____________.
A salary B income C wage
3 ____________ can be paid daily.
A Salary B Income C Wages
4 One of these is not part of the reasons why people work.
A To earn money B For them not to be idle
C To become armed robbers
5 Anybody that does not work can become ____________.
A armed robber B rich C wealthy
6 One of these is a way of rewarding workers for a job well done. _____________.
A giving them query at the end of the month
B giving them bonuses C making them to work overtime
7 Salary increment is part of __________________________________________.
A reward for a hardworking worker B punishment for a lazy worker
C encouraging stealing
8 Strike is _______________________.
A when workers hold meeting together B when workers refuse to work
C when workers demonstrate by carrying placard
9 Strike is a way of ________________________________________.
A showing appreciation to the employers
B increasing the level of productivity C fighting for workers’ rights.
10 Payment of workers’ salaries on time is a way of ______________________.
A solving the problems of income distribution
B punishing the workers C making the workers lazy.
See also