# Average worker's wage

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Labour benchmark

The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (June 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

**Average wage** is the [mean](/source/Mean) [salary](/source/Salary) of a group of [workers](/source/Working_class). This measure is often monitored and used by government or other organisations as a benchmark for the wage level of individual workers in an industry, area or country.

The usefulness of this measure in assessing wage levels is debatable, particularly in an economy where [low pay](/source/Low_pay) is prevalent, due to the tendency for the wages of a minority of high earners to 'skew' the average upwards. It has been argued that the median (midpoint) worker's wage is a better indicator in these circumstances; this measure is used in the UK by both the [Office for National Statistics](/source/Office_for_National_Statistics) and the Scottish Low Pay Unit in examining wage levels.[1]

Certain UK organisations, usually [socialist](/source/Socialist) or left-of-centre political groups, have traditionally had a policy that members should never accept wages higher than the wage of the average working class person whilst being employed by that organisation or in a representative capacity. Deputies and officials paid an average worker's wage are also a feature of the [Dictatorship of the Proletariat](/source/Dictatorship_of_the_Proletariat) described in Marx's account of the [Paris Commune](/source/Paris_Commune), [The Civil War in France](/source/The_Civil_War_in_France), as well as in Lenin's [The State and Revolution](/source/The_State_and_Revolution) commentary on Marx's pamphlet, although not all people who draw an average workers wage subscribe to Marxist principles.

This idea is based on the idea that [politicians](/source/Politician) (or [trade union](/source/Trade_union) officials) are there to serve the people of the country rather than earn themselves a fortune and/or raise their status (also known as [careerism](/source/Careerism)). Proponents claim that high wages for politicians are a waste of [taxpayers](/source/Taxpayer)' money and distance the politician from the concerns of the working class.

Examples of people taking only an average worker's wage are [Socialist Party](/source/Socialist_Party) politician [Joe Higgins](/source/Joe_Higgins_(politician)), former MP [Dave Nellist](/source/Dave_Nellist) in the UK, [John Marek](/source/John_Marek_(politician)), [Forward Wales](/source/Forward_Wales)' [Welsh Assembly](/source/Welsh_Assembly) member for Wrexham, and [Sinn Féin](/source/Sinn_F%C3%A9in) politicians in Ireland. In *[The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists](/source/The_Ragged_Trousered_Philanthropists)*, [Robert Tressell](/source/Robert_Tressell) notes that the [Labour Representation Committee](/source/British_Labour_Party#Labour_Representation_Committee) MPs of the day took only an average workers' wage.

## See also

- [List of countries by average wage](/source/List_of_countries_by_average_wage)

- [Wages and salaries](/source/Wages_and_salaries)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Newing, Helen (October 14, 2010). [*Conducting Research in Conservation: Social Science Methods and Practice*](https://books.google.com/books?id=ZgbHBQAAQBAJ). [Taylor & Francis](/source/Taylor_%26_Francis). p. 276. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781136934391](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781136934391).

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