July 26, 2012

$15 minimum wage a first step

$15 an hour is still not a living wage, but a union representing low paid workers says that a members’ bill lifting the minimum wage to that rate will prompt Parliament to debate the issue of poverty wages.

David Clark’s bill lifting the minimum wage to $15 per hour has been drawn from Parliament’s ballot today.

“Tomorrow, the NBR’s annual rich list comes out, and there will be the usual navel gazing from the very wealthy about who has jumped over who in their place on the list,” Robert Reid, General Secretary of FIRST Union said.

“Meanwhile, workers on low wages continue to struggle to make ends meet, especially if one or both wage earners are on the minimum wage.”

“The government has inched up the minimum wage as slowly as it could. $13.50 may be the new minimum wage but it is not a decent wage.”

“It is completely impossible for families to live on these wages. Unions support an immediate rise to $15 an hour, then indexing the minimum wage to two thirds of the average wage.”

The recently launched Living Wage campaign was doing an excellent job of drawing attention to low wages in New Zealand, Robert Reid said, and FIRST Union would continue to campaign alongside community and faith organisations to highlight the poverty wages many New Zealanders live on.

ENDS

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