Does National Support Wage Increases or Employer Subsidies?
The Council of Trade Unions is calling on the National Party to clarify whether it supports wage increases or employer
subsidies.
National Party finance spokesperson John Keys has repeated his call for tax cuts instead of increases in workers’ wages.
“Higher wages are attracting skilled workers to Australia,” CTU president Ross Wilson said. “National Leader Don Brash
has acknowledged that.
“Workers want a fair rate for the job, not a further subsidy to employers through a tax cut,” he said.
The Working for Families package was already a taxpayer subsidy to employers who should be paying higher wages and
salaries, Ross Wilson said.
“And while it is very welcome measure for families, unions are arguing for a fair wage whether the worker is in a one or
two-income household and whether or not they have dependent children,” he said.
Cutting taxes would not only put pressure on services like health and education, but would also entrench the low wage
culture the country needed to break out of.
In the current economy there was strong evidence that supported a fair wage increase across the board to start that
process.
“Mr Keys seems to be promoting a system of employer dependency on taxpayer subsidies, when they should be paying a fair
wage.”