$15 minimum wage, it’s only fair

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, October 29th, 2009 - 4 comments
Categories: referendum, wages, workers' rights - Tags: ,

trickortreatThe campaign for a $15 an hour minimum wage is gathering pace.

Initially, Unite kind of set out on their own on this one but I understand they’ve got other unions on boards now.

They need a bit over 300,000 signatures to force the government to hold a referendum. They’ve got until May 7, just over 6 months, to get the remainder (not sure how many they’ve got so far).

Obviously, the 350,000 odd union members are a good place to start but I would say if they can get enough people with enough forms out there they will find a lot of community support too. The other day, I was in a Subway in the evening and the woman behind the counter had a petition form beside the till that she asked all the customers to sign and people were only too happy to do so.

I reckon if we get the signatures, the referendum will be an awesome opportunity for the Left (looking at you, Labour) to promote itself and its vision.

How can you help make sure New Zealand’s lowest paid workers get a living wage? Sign the petition yourself, obviously. Put a copy up in the smoko room too and pass it around at the next union meeting or social event.

4 comments on “$15 minimum wage, it’s only fair ”

  1. So Bored 1

    You are gpoing to need all $15 now that Wodders intends that you pay for water…he is trying to privatise water as part of his mission as Local Government Minister. These bastards are not going to stop until they own everything including you, (and you are not going to get paid either).

  2. BLiP 2

    Good luck with that. Here’s what John Key has got to say about the minimum wage.

  3. Nick C 3

    But why stop at $15??

    If the minimum wage is so fair and effective, why not make it $50?

    [shush Nick, you’ll give the plan away… seriously though, the minimum wage used to be set at 66% of the average wage and the world kept right on turning]

    • Nick C 3.1

      If it is logical to increase the minimum wage to $15, why is it not logical increase the minimum wage to $50? At what point does it become illogical to keep increasing the minimum wage, and how do we determine that point?

      [if it’s logical to eat some food, why not eat all the food? If it’s logical to drink some water, why not drink until you kill yourself? In all things, there is a sensible moderate point. We know we are below that point with the minimum wage because increasing it by a few bucks has had no provable negative affects but manifestly improves the living standards of hundreds of thousands of Kiwi families]