Living wage for public servants morally questionable and will increase wage gap
15 JUNE 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The announcement of a $20.55 minimum wage for core public service employees is an expensive capitulation to the
Government’s union backers, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.
Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams says, “The public sector is already paid substantially more than the
private sector, an issue we will be publishing a report on next week. Today’s announcement will only increase the wage
gap between government and private sector workers.”
“$20.55 is an arbitrary, politically-determined figure that doesn’t reflect the wide range of work done in the public
service.”
“Requiring taxpayers, many of whom don’t earn more than $20.55 an hour, to pay above market wages to already well-paid
government workers is morally questionable.”
ENDS