Wellington Businesses Support Min Wage Increase

Monday, 27 February 2006, 11:19 am
Press Release: New Zealand Council of Trade Unions

NZCTU MEDIA RELEASE
27 February 2006

Wellington Businesses Support for Min Wage Increase Reflects Wider Society says CTU

"The high level of support expressed by Wellington businesses for an increase to the minimum wage reinforces our view on the growing levels of community support for ending low wages in this country," said Ross Wilson, Council of Trade Unions President.

He was responding to a survey, published this morning in the Dominion Post, that showed a significant level of business support for raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour, and a low level of concern on the impact on businesses if youth minimum rates were abolished.

"A low wage economy is not in anyone's interests, including business," said Ross Wilson. "New Zealand needs to be moving to a high value economy, and the way to make that transition is not through a low minimum wage and low investment in skills development and capital - the strategy that failed us in the 1990s."

"Today's findings concur with New Zealand's recent experience of increasing the youth minimum wage - which has shown no negative impact on the employment opportunities of young people."

ENDS

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New Zealand Council of Trade Unions

Te Kauae Kaimahi

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi brings together over 350,000 New Zealand union members in 40 affiliated unions. We are the united voice for working people and their families in New Zealand.

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