Minimum wage to rise

Minimum wage to rise by 9.8 per cent
Monday, 18 December 2006

The minimum adult wage will rise by 9.8 per cent from April 1 next year, Labour Minister Ruth Dyson announced today. Ms Dyson said the rise in minimum pay rates from $10.25 to $11.25 an hour for those over 18 was the single largest increase since Labour came to office in 1999.

Labour is committed to lifting the rate to $12 an hour by 2008, if economic conditions permit it.

The minimum youth rate – for workers aged 16 and 17 – and minimum training wage will increase from $8.20 to $9.00 from April as well. This maintains the youth rate at 80 per cent of the adult minimum wage. The increases will benefit around 110,000 adult workers, mainly women, and around 9200 youth workers.

Next year Parliament will debate Green MP Sue Bradford's bill to scrap the youth rate, which she regards as discriminatory.

Ms Dyson said the rise in rates in April in the current economic and labour market conditions and would not put jobs at risk. "With four months till the changes come into effect, businesses will have time to prepare," Ms Dyson said.

The implementation of the minimum four weeks' annual leave will take place from April 1 as well.

National Distribution Union National Secretary Laila Harre said the increase for youth workers would make a real difference for them, but also called for the Government to scrap the rate all together. "The only reason employers pay young workers less than their adult workmates is because they can," Ms Harre said.

"The minimum wage is on the move and the challenge now is for employers who want to be more than minimum wage payers is to engage in collective bargaining with unions and lift themselves off the floor."

The Council of Trade Unions Secretary Carol Beaumont said it would continue to put the heat on employers who held pay rates at around the minimum wage level.

- Stuff.co.nz

[MotherBear]

Not much, but better than nothing. :)

Holidays, minimum wage up from today
1:00PM Sunday April 01, 2007

Major initiatives over pay and working conditions come into force from today.

There is the introduction of a minimum of four weeks annual holiday for workers, and an almost 10 per cent rise in the minimum wage.

The adult minimum wage is now $11.25 an hour, up 9.8 per cent. New Zealand Superannuation is also increasing.

Employment lawyer Andrew Scott-Howman does not believe many companies will struggle with the legislation.

He says people have known about the changes for four years, as the decisions were taken back in 2003.

More here .