E tū says pay Living Wage; minimum wage increase inadequate

E tū says a 50 cent increase in the minimum wage doesn’t go far enough and employers should commit to paying the Living Wage.

The government has announced the minimum wage will rise by 50 cents from $15.25 to $15.75, effective April 1.

Mat Danaher, E tū’s Living Wage Campaign Lead Organiser says today’s announcement comes hard on the heels of last week’s figures showing key New Zealand cities are among the most unaffordable in the world.

The 13th annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey, which compares housing prices to incomes in 406 metropolitan housing markets put Auckland near the top due to extremely expensive prices but modest pay packets.

Other centres including Wellington, Christchurch and Tauranga were also rated as “severely unaffordable”.

Mat says today’s announced increase will also be cold comfort for the many families still trying to pay for Christmas as well as facing back-to-school costs.

“Recent figures show costs going the wrong way for thousands of New Zealand households. School costs are surging with many families struggling to pay basic bills,” Mat says.

“While many will welcome the slight improvement to their finances offered by this increase, most minimum wage families will notice little difference to their circumstances.

“They need a Living Wage to help pay the bills and ensure a quality life for their families.”