Minimum Wage needs to rise immediately

The CTU is calling on the government to lift the minimum wage immediately rather than wait until next year.

CTU President Helen Kelly said "there are 100 000 people on the minimum wage, the 2% pay rise they received in April when the minimum wage went up is nowhere near keeping up with inflation announced yesterday at 5.3%. There are 250 000 people earning below $15 an hour. We are calling on the government to take these extraordinary price increases into account and raise the minimum wage immediately. This move would help families on low incomes cope with the added costs they are facing every day."

"For families on or near the minimum wage they are feeling the brunt of the full costs of CPI increases in their pockets. Power is getting more expensive, early childhood education, food and petrol are all costing families more, and their wages simply aren't keeping up. The government is at least partly responsible for these increases in costs through their GST increase and cuts to ECE funding and needs to step up the minimum wage to help mitigate the effect of these massive cost increases."

"We also call on businesses to recognise the high inflation in bargaining for wage increases this year," said Helen Kelly.

ENDS

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