Minimum Wage Rise to $12 per hour

Malaysian politics still in a flux, not settle yet. The latest news is about Pakatan Rakyat. If its true tha PAS-PKR-DAP can put their heads together, and work for the sake of Malaysia instead of the narrow idealogies where they come from, that would be good.
So I support this Pakatan Rakyat thing.

I suppose before we can talk about steps and laws that would be formulated for better Malaysia, we must form the government first.

Then we can talk about such issues like minimum wage etc.

Minimum wage rise positive, but unions want more
By CLIO FRANCIS - Stuff.co.nz | Tuesday, 01 April 2008



Today sees the introduction of a new minimum wage and the abolishment of youth rates, however union officials believe that the changes are not enough to lift New Zealanders current living standards.


The April 1 change entitles all adult employees to $12 an hour and sees the end of youth rates, in favour of a new entrants minimum hourly rate of $9.60.

Green Party MP Sue Bradford - who sponsored the Minimum Wage Amendment Bill in 2007 - welcomed the abolition of youth rates, but believed that income rises were still to low.

"The fairest thing a socially responsible Government could do is to increase the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour and raise benefits to levels people can actually live on in 2008, rather than leaving people to sink deeper and deeper into debt and homelessness," the Minister said.

Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said that while there was clearly more to be done to lift New Zealanders living standards, the minimum wage raise today show we are going the right way.

"Nine years through the eyes of the workers has seen steady improvements to the social wage," she said.

"The CTU wants to see more progress, with better pay for low waged workers and stronger public services, not cuts to them."

Minister of Labour Trevor Mallard today urged all employers to ensure they start paying their youth workers the new adult minimum wage providing they meet the criteria.

The Minister said that change reflected a marked increase for youth workers, with the new figure amounting to eighty percent of the minimum adult wage.

"It comes with the move to entirely scrap the youth minimum rate and replace it with a new entrants minimum hourly rate of $9.60 an hour for 16 and 17 year olds for the first 200 hours or three months they work. After this period, the 16 or 17 year old must be paid the adult minimum wage.

"From April 1, the adult minimum wage will also rise to $12 an hour, from the current $11.25 rate - meaning our government has delivered on our promise of raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour ahead of time," said the Minster.

Unite Union General Secretary Matt McCarten believes that while the wage change is a move towards a fair wage for working people, the reality is that it is still not a sustainable amount of money.

"While getting rid of youth rates and increasing the minimum wage to $12 are two important victories, we will continue to push towards a $15 minimum wage for all as our next goal," he said.