A senior political journalist felt National had gotten one up on me in the House when they asked what the average wage was.
I didn’t bother giving the average wage answer (it’s almost $60 000 for anyone who actually wants to know) because I refuse to get drawn into National’s framing of the issue.
All the National Party cares about is money. They are fixated on it and it is the only value they seem to have as individuals and as a political party.
This new Government has a vision far larger than that.
As Minister of Employment I want more than just the average wage to rise and I would feel like a complete failure if all I achieve as Minister is some slight bump in the total take home pay of the average worker.
I am far more focused on reshaping the debate to include the value of work with dignity.
It’s not the average take home pay we should be most concerned about, it’s the blue collar workers and the no collar workers who need the attention if we are going to be sincere in halting and rewinding poverty and inequality.
I want jobs with dignity that includes the safety of the workplaces our friends and whānau are working in. That all workplaces are free from abuse, bullying and harassment. That women, students, migrants and beneficiaries are given a fair go, that a dad can go to work knowing he’s coming home accident free and that all workers are being treated with basic respect.
To simply focus on the average wage and champion increases in that completely misses the wider focus I and this new Government want to bring to this debate.
Refusing to play National’s game of just focusing on the money and not the environment of the workplace is why we have a crisis in jobs right now.
Now the political editor, who I must say is a very accomplished and seasoned journalist, may think that refusing to play that game meant I wasn’t aware of the average wage.
And I can understand perhaps how she thought I was caught out because there’s no doubt I hesitated, but that hesitation was because I didn’t want to play the National Party’s games and give them the answers that they wanted to hear.
Believe it or not I love question time, I find it challenging and exciting and it gives me an opportunity to state my case for the people I represent.
So I hope I get more questions next week and if I do, I will continue to push the view that jobs with dignity must become a reality for every New Zealand worker.
– Willie Jackson is a Labour List MP and the Minister of Employment.
First published in the Manukau Courier
Well said, fine sir!
The *average* wage has nothing whatsoever to do with the average worker.
Obscenely large annual increases for the likes of management, MPs and CEOs drag up the *average* wage, but the real people doing the actual work typically get squeezed with lower-than-inflation pay increases – if they are lucky enough to get a wage rise at all.
Labour needs to re-frame the argument and focus on lifting the *median* wage, so that most workers are getting better off – not just those at the top already making plenty.
Additionally, with those on the lowest incomes barely treading water, Labour needs to address income inequality by raising the minimum wage and legislatively locking it in at two-thirds of the average wage. If CEOs want big pay increases, they can damn well bring their workers up with them.
Providing government assistance through various difficult-to-access means-tested supplementary add-ons – which effectively subsidise employers who don’t pay enough to live on – is simply not good enough when the undeniable fact is that most people’s wages are far too low.
Yes willie National is noow godless as it worships the golgen urn now so as the bible told us these who believe in false Gods will perish in pesitence and famine. I am a low level self moderated outside chuch christian, brouight up as prebertarian then a methodist now a free from church soul.
I am like you, I have no care for chasing money if i can do without and live in relative modest comfort, so I’m with you nas a 73 yr old pakeha.
Our Whanau wishewes the warmest regards for your whanau and friends and a best year of all for 2018.
More power to you, Mr Jackson. As I’m sure you’re aware, National will attempt to discredit and humiliate you at every turn, purely so they can then say, “Look! That Maori fulla doesn’t know what he’s doing! Totally out of his depth! That’s Labour for you!” It’s pretty transparent and predictable stuff from the Nasty Party.
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