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Minimum wage increase a 'slap in the face'

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Minimum wage increase 'miserable'

3News NZ

By 3 News online staff

The Labour Party has blasted the Government’s 25-cent boost to minimum wage, calling it “miserable”.

From April 1, the minimum rage will increase from $13.50 to $13.75 an hour.

Labour MP Darien Fenton is calling it a slap in the face for New Zealand’s poorest-paid workers.

“Simon Bridges and John Key must be joking if they think an extra $10 a week is a fair pay rise for thousands of struggling workers and their families,” he says.

“Would they like to try to live on $550 a week before tax?”

Meanwhile the Greens’ Metiria Turei says it is degrading.

“You will have to be able to work an ordinary job and earn enough money to take care of their kids and live a dignified life. This minimum wage increase is nothing, it is an insult to working people.”

“Four out of 10 of the Kiwi children living in poverty and hardship come from working families. An extra $10 a week – less tax – won’t be enough to make their lives any easier,” says Mr Fenton.

“National has shown no interest in lifting wages.  It has given up on closing the wage gap with Australia, and instead sees low wages as a competitive advantage. It is abandoning thousands of families to a life of hardship.”

The Government says the rate has been carefully chosen to protect low-paid workers while ensuring jobs are not lost.

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Comments

3/03/2013 7:18:40 p.m.

katubaldy wrote:

You're full of it Carlos and think everything can be solved with stupid adolescent slogans....? You wanna let jobless people become homeless people and that will help fix the world? Like NZ should be in a race to the bottom. People get laid off and should then fall off your radar?.. We don't live in a 'pioneers' world if you missed the last 150 years and you stereotype the jobless just before you dismiss them as unworthy or something, yeah all poor people are lazy..didn't take long for that crap to come out....You want the gas chamber cos others make you sick...grow up dude, the adults are having a real debate...

1/03/2013 9:20:13 a.m.

Carlos wrote:

What is not meaningful about scrapping something wrong/crazy like the Dole ? Giving people money for doing nothing in return should be stopped, period ! What is meaningless about 'the pioneer spirit'?....and workhouse's would be great for lazy one parent mothers.

28/02/2013 3:18:28 p.m.

katubaldy wrote:

And modern day slavery too Carlos!!The less jobs there will be..? Sure.. whatever. Try and say something meaningful that isn't a throwaway slogan from a bygone era and then try and enlighten us with some details or facts dude..otherwise it's pathetic.

28/02/2013 10:40:58 a.m.

@Carlos wrote:

Why not bring back the gas chambers as well? Much quicker and highly effective. You make me sick.

27/02/2013 9:56:01 p.m.

Carlos wrote:

It completely realistic. Scrap the Dole, bring back the workhouses and the pioneer spirit.

27/02/2013 12:56:59 p.m.

Dan wrote:

I agree with Steve. Legislation should be in place to protect the rights of skilled and semi skilled workers. It's not right to placate adults 18 and over by having a lower wage for younger people but not have a higher wage in place for those that are experienced in a specialised or semi specialised area. Those employers out there (and there still are some) that exploit workers with significant experience by not paying them more or much more than the minimum wage, or do not take other factors into account such as time of day the work is conducted or the atmosphere of the work (dirt, sawdust etc) and its probable impact upon the health of the staff, need to have these loopholes start to close. It will take quite a while but it can and should be done.

27/02/2013 11:39:48 a.m.

Kathy wrote:

@Jim Seaview Please explain to us what policies National has implemented to help kiwi workers in the last 4 years. The answer my friend is simple, none. Dont accuse the opposition of doing nothing when you golden boy has done less than nothing except attack employment laws whilst handing out excessive golden handshakes to former CEO's of state owned enterprises. If there is no money, there is no money for anyone, including the overpriveldged. a 12.5 percent pay increase to Rob fyfe in 2011???

27/02/2013 11:37:38 a.m.

Daniel Lang wrote:

Robert, you are wrong. Businesses cannot just raise their prices twenty five cents across the board and "nothing will have changed except for inflation". It depends how the business is structured, what its costs are. You can have two companies, and one may struggle more than the other when the minimum wage is raised. I believe it should be raised to $15.00 by Christmas this year but, still, that's no excuse for me to go along with your simplified and distorted example. What really should be happening, at the same time, is a CGT, not on investment properties but on the sale of companies and businesses, at the flat rate of 5%. The tax revenue brought in from that, all of it, should go towards concessions in other areas for the majority of people, such as a reduction in the GST or exemption of basic items from GST. That will ensure that the minimum wage does actually have an effect when it comes to the eradication of poverty and inflation doesn't erode all of the extra income.

27/02/2013 9:28:41 a.m.

Pikachu wrote:

Off to OZ then? At least the govt over there is better at running the place, and care about the workers and pay them well. Donkey and National is for farmers and busniess men in $5000 suits and allways have been, why should he and National care about the poor people in NZ?

27/02/2013 8:23:46 a.m.

Jim Seaview wrote:

@KAREN I am just noting that both Opposition parties are moaning at this increase, WITHOUT putting forward what they would have increased the minimum wage to. Why cant they each state categorically the amount they would have lifted the minimum wage? $14, $14.40, $15 whatever??? It could be of course that they do not have a figure worked out yet or they do not want to rock the political boat YET. It is easy to moan & groan when you do not offer an alternative for the electorate to peruse and unfortunately Karen - both Labour & the Greens do this often.