starvation wages

plural noun

1. wages below the level necessary for subsistence.

Word History and Origins

Origin of starvation wages¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Sure, they’d made their fortunes by paying starvation wages, and by busting union strikes, and by ruthlessly driving their competitors into the ground.

From Literature

He accused the care home sector of paying "starvation wages of £20,000-a -year" to foreign workers and called for the salary threshold for workers coming to the UK to be raised.

From BBC

Tory backbencher Sir Edward Leigh claimed the care home sector was "handing out visas like sweeties" and employing people on "starvation wages" of £20,000.

From BBC

The median Googler earned $279,802, hardly starvation wages.

From New York Times

“The Senate committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will come to order and let me get to the point of this hearing. Today in our country, over 60 percent of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, and millions are working for starvation wages,” he began.

From Slate