There is a rumour in the Dom Post and the Herald that the minimum wage will be announced today and the Nats are going to increase it to either $12.50 or $12.40 depending on whether it’s Fairfax or APN you’re reading.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this was true as John Key knows full well that he needs to offer low-income Kiwis something after taking their tax cuts off them and eroding their work rights and the minimum wage issue has traction as an issue. Especially after Kate Wilkinson’s recommendation of a zero increase was leaked by The Standard.
Even if it is just a cynical public relations exercise, I’ll be pleased to see the Nats do this and would fully endorse the move as every extra cent makes a difference for people on minimum wage.
It’s worth noting that under Labour the minimum wage was set to increase by inflation or the increase in the average wage (whichever was largest). By that measure the new minimum wage would be around $12.66.
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