seems low to me but i'm not too experienced in what other companies pay staff for domestic. all i know if 6 years ago i was getting £7 per hour for commercial cleaning. with inflation i don't even know what they'd work out to be.
Its very easy to get guidelines on what staff are being paid.
Just look on line at your job centre. Most cleaning companies are paying minimum wage.
Also look down your local job adverts n the paper for cleaners... it generally states rates of pay. Commercial cleaners "majority" are still just over the minimum wage. Saying that just look at Sainsbury, Tescos and other retail they are only on about £6.50 so you are OK to pay that.
If staff have been with you a while and deserve a rise pay them. I am all for it. If you pay them more or not with in the competitive rates you wont be competitive.
As for them not travelling that far... I certainly would not entertain petrol allowance.
As for the inflation.... have you not noticed everything goes up mortgage payments, Interest, petrol, cotton, latex, but not wages...
We generally only deal with commercial and they don't want to pay any more than they have to. Even we sometimes have to justify in stringent detail to our prospective clients why we charge what we are charging.
Even in London some cleaning staff are being paid minimum wage....... what do you think about that?