The Auto Retail Industry Salary Survey 2009 has been released and it makes gloomy reading for the motor trade rank and file. The report published by Trend Tracker tells us that 25% of franchised dealers did not increase pay for their staff between 2007 and 2008. Also while this obviously means 75% of staff did receive a pay rise apparently salaries only rose by 1.4% across all jobs in the trade. The survey also indicated that dealers seemed to be taking advantage of the high rate of staff turnover to lower the rates offered to new starters.
There will be many people across the whole spectrum of the motor trade who will firstly be grateful to still be employed. When they have breathed that particular sigh of relief they may find that due to job cuts in their own section of the business that they are given more responsibility and will hopefully be recognised for what they have achieved so far. They will then realise that, after they have got over the initial warm glow of feeling like a valued member of staff who has kept their job by working harder and putting in more hours, with their livelihoods intact that they are actually expected to take on this extra responsibility for little or no extra money.
They are then faced with a moral as well as practical dilemma, do they make a fuss and bang on the door of their line manager knowing that close colleagues are now watching Jeremy Kyle in their dressing gowns every day, and that if they make a fuss they may well be the next to go, or do they “suck it up” and get on with it?
Whatever happens there will inevitably be staff working longer hours and being far more active for the privilege of no extra pay and that may just be the brave new world for the lean and hungry dealerships of the future.
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