Same Planet, different Worlds.
When you're an ordinary bottom-rung, working-class person, asking for a raise is a non-starter, in some businesses and factories you won't even get to see the face of the person who is in a position to consider giving you a raise; your point of contact might be a charge-hand or supervisor and they don't have any vested interest in putting your request up to "the office".
What it comes down to is that your job description defines and limits the money you can ask to be paid. If you have a fancy title - and especially if you live in the World of suit & ties - then the money can be very good indeed, with various extra perks, but as an ordinary "unskilled" worker you are essentially disposable, regardless of the value of the work you do. Ask for a raise? Forget it, they are constantly looking for ways to increase your workload and cut your wages. You might deserve a raise, but as a disposable employee you are not going to get it, not when they think they can simply replace you.
My dad works for a major dairy producer that operates from a supposedly state-of-the-art facility (one of the biggest in Europe) but the way the executives and management treat most of their workforce is surreal:
To save a little money on construction, the building has excellent heating and air conditioning for the offices, but none in the production areas. The roof of the production areas, although it looks modern, is basically just a 1950's-style tin-shed roof which in Summer heats up like crazy and makes the top floor of the factory unbearably hot.. no air-con.
The shift rota system is convoluted, changes frequently and forces people to work ridiculous and unsociable random shift patterns which strangely coincide with covering times when the previous or next shift would have been paid at overtime rates.
After some kind of managerial training course a couple of years ago, a number of people who attended the course (which didn't actually have anything to do with management, the dairy industry or any kind of skills relating to.. well anything at all) were all promoted, given offensively large salary increases and given new positions as managers. Now some of the smaller departments have crews comprising of one manager to three workers. I know at least one department has just 4 workers but 3 supervisors and 1 manager! The supervisors and manager literally do no work.
The last guy I heard of who was sacked was handed his final notice for being ill; he came in to work ill and was sent home by his supervisor (unpaid naturally) and the factory rules state that he cannot come back for at least a further 2 days (due to hygiene regulations). Because he had been off sick previously and was off work for more than 48 hours, he was given a disciplinary... for allowing himself to be sent home!! His appeal against unfair dismissal has probably been scuppered because he was off sick again due to stress - unsurprising when he was sacked for doing as he was told.
It is a factory with such a high turnover of a staff that there are literally more people leaving than there are applicant for the vacancies. Not even the East Europeans in my town (they work in the temp agencies) will work in the place because they know it by reputation.
Some people in the factory are grossly overpaid while others at the bottom of the pyramid have their workloads "amended" to include new tasks that would normally be done by people in specialist departments who are paid DOUBLE their wages.
I could go on but I think you get the idea, places like that laugh at the idea of giving ordinary people a pay rise. Why would they care? there's nothing you can do about it.
Incidentally, my cousin who works on the railways (in a fairly low position) before tax is paid £85 per hour... yes you read that right. And that's not including the double, triple, and quadruple time rates he makes during bank holiday overtime. And he's low-paid compared to the higher-ups. :-S
In my job, if my employers had to replace me - and I swear this is no brag or exaggeration - they would need at least five trained people to do the job and even then they wouldn't know how to do it right. But I'm still only paid a typical ordinary wage because I'm classed as "unskilled" and therefore not important enough to be awarded the incentive of a pay rise.
Pay rises, perks and bonuses always go to the top level and those who are "in the club".