Minimum wage – Labour MP says more to be done

new-zealand-labour-party

Fri Sep 21 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Minimum wage – Labour MP says more to be done

Friday, 21 September 2007, 11:21 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Media Statement
21 September 2007

Minimum remuneration bill for contractors reported back to Parliament

The Minimum Wage & Remuneration Bill has been reported back by the Transport and Industrial Select Committee with no recommendation because the Select Committee votes were tied. Labour members voted in favour, while NZ First and National voted against.

Labour MP Darien Fenton says she had expected National to vote against the Bill but was disappointed NZ First did not support the Committee recommendations to improve the Bill.

“However, NZ First says they are sympathetic to the purpose of the Bill, which is to protect vulnerable contractors by ensuring they are paid a socially acceptable minimum wage. I am confident the Bill will find support from other parties in the House when the bill returns for its second reading” says Ms Fenton.

“In the last two weeks, we have celebrated pay increases to thousands of young minimum wage workers with the passage of the Youth Minimum Wage Act. Parliament now needs to turn their minds to those low paid workers in New Zealand who will not have the benefit of increases to the minimum wage this year, next year or indeed any year under current legislation” she says.

“There is a group of vulnerable workers employed as contractors for whom the minimum wage protection legislation does not apply, because their employment status does not fit within current legislative protections for employees.”

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“My members’ bill, the Minimum Wage and Remuneration Bill, would address this inequity. There’s more to be done yet on Minimum Wages in New Zealand.”

“I hope as the next few weeks progress we will see these most exploited of workers joining other workers in the significant advances to minimum wage protection we have seen under the Labour-led government and like-minded parties” Ms Fenton said.

ENDS

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