30 June 2014

Two levels of minimum wage under Labour

Labour’s immigration policy would create two different levels of minimum wage, says BusinessNZ.

The policy released on the weekend says low-paid migrants push wages down for New Zealanders, and a Labour government would make it compulsory for businesses to pay migrant workers at least the living wage, after accommodation deductions.

BusinessNZ Chief Executive Phil O’Reilly says having a minimum wage for New Zealanders and a higher minimum wage for migrant workers makes no sense.

“Whether it is called a living wage or any other name, it would basically be a higher minimum wage for migrant workers.

“The policy appears to be based on advice from a Lower Hutt church agency that promotes an arbitrary wage level without bearing accountability for that advice.

“This is hardly the way to make public policy.

“New Zealand’s skills shortage is a complex problem. It requires the education system to be delivering more needed skilled people. It requires students to be making more realistic study and career choices. In the absence of these, many employers are forced to seek migrant workers.

“Labour’s policy proposal to require higher rates of pay for migrant workers than New Zealand workers does not address our skills shortage problem and would create problems of its own.

“The policy should be withdrawn.”

ENDS

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