E tū has commissioned a poll which shows strong opposition to the National-led Government’s proposal to remove the Living Wage requirement from the updated procurement rules.

The poll, first published in the New Zealand Herald, showed 62% of people opposed to the removal, while just 24% supported it. More voters of every party in Parliament opposed the move than supported it, including voters of the Government parties.

E tū National Secretary, Rachel Mackintosh, says the poll result isn’t surprising.

“The poll demonstrates that New Zealand voters know the importance lifting wages, especially for our lowest paid workers,” Rachel says.

“A strong majority value the important role cleaners, security guards, and catering workers play in the core public service. While they aren’t directly employed by a government department, they work for all of us – and the decent thing to do is make sure they get the Living Wage.

“There has been an outpouring of support for these workers in the face of the Government’s intention to take away their Living Wage. That’s not surprising – anyone who cares about solving the cost-of-living crisis knows that you can’t do it by cutting wage entitlements.”

Rachel says the Government has been dishonest about the impact of this proposal.

“Nicola Willis’ assertion that this move is somehow good for the workforce is frankly insulting, and reeks of an ideological commitment to a laissez-faire economic approach that encourages the exploitation of vulnerable workers.

“Aotearoa New Zealand is better than that. We care about the people doing the hard work. We don’t think they are ‘bottom-feeders’. We believe that everyone should be paid enough to make ends meet.

“The Government must ditch this unpopular, short-sighted, nasty proposal.”

The poll was conducted by Talbot Mills and commissioned by E tū. Read the poll report here.

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