Cover may vary - this is a stock image

Hard WorkLife in Low-pay Britain

Format: Paperback

Condition: Standard Secondhand — £1.00
What do the conditions mean?

Our conditions mean the following:

  • New - a brand new book
  • Almost New - appears new but is actually secondhand.
  • Very Good - only minor imperfections such as minor scuffs to edge or cover or a price written in pencil or shop sticker.
  • Standard Secondhand - Clearly been read before, but not too bad. We do not recommend these for gifting. Spines usually creased. Could also include creases or folds to cover, some writing such as in the cover or elsewhere, underlining or highlighting, but might not do. Possibly some stains or marks. Similar in general to books in any secondhand shop or charity shop.
  • Poor Condition - Usually this will have a specific problem such as writing inside, water damage, missing dust jacket, heavy staining, large creases or cuts. These are readable copies but not nice ones. On other websites this condition is called 'Acceptable' or 'Fair' , but we want to be more honest.
£1.00
£1.00
Sale Sold out
Taxes included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Out of stock

Guardian journalist Polly Toynbee took up the challenge of trying to survive on the minimum wage- living in one of the worst council estates in Britain and taking whatever was on offer at the job centre.
What she discovered shocked her. In telesales and cake factories, as a hospital porter or a dinner-lady, she worked at a breakneck pace for cut-rate wages, alongside working mothers and struggling retirees. The service sector is now administered by seedy agencies offering no prospects, no screening and no commitment. And perhaps most damning of all, Toynbee found that, despite the optimism of Tony Blair's New Deal, the poorly paid effectively earn less than they did thirty years ago.
Britain has the lowest social spending and the highest poverty in Europe. As the income gap between top and bottom has widened, social mobility has shuddered to a halt. Is this the end of social progress? In this compelling, powerfully written book, Polly Toynbee shows that unless we acknowledge the poor and radically improve their prospects, it will be.

Genre: Poverty, Work & labour
Format: Paperback
Published: 2003
Pages: 242
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 9780747564157

Payment method

  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Diners Club
  • Discover
  • Google Pay
  • Maestro
  • Mastercard
  • Shop Pay
  • Union Pay
  • Visa

Our conditions mean the following:

  • New - a brand new book
  • Almost New - appears new but is actually secondhand.
  • Very Good - only minor imperfections such as minor scuffs to edge or cover or a price written in pencil or shop sticker.
  • Standard Secondhand - Clearly been read before, but not too bad. We do not recommend these for gifting. Spines usually creased. Could also include creases or folds to cover, some writing such as in the cover or elsewhere, underlining or highlighting, but might not do. Possibly some stains or marks. Similar in general to books in any secondhand shop or charity shop.
  • Poor Condition - Usually this will have a specific problem such as writing inside, water damage, missing dust jacket, heavy staining, large creases or cuts. These are readable copies but not nice ones. On other websites this condition is called 'Acceptable' or 'Fair' , but we want to be more honest.
  • Free UK shipping over £10.
  • Under £10, shipping is £1.99.
  • Express shipping £2.99.
  • Choose 10 £1 books for £10 including shipping!
  • International shipping available to select countries, proceed to checkout to see prices.

Return books within 14 days if not happy.

View full details

More £1 non-fiction

All £1 books →