Bridges challenges wage policy

Businesses wanting to invest and grow face potential roadblocks if the Greens' employment policy goes ahead, says Tauranga MP Simon Bridges.

The Green Party today announced a workers' package which includes increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour and then to $18 an hour by 2017.


Tauranga MP Simon Bridges.

Simon believes the raise would cost 'thousands and thousands of jobs”.

'They would scrap the starting-out wage which would mean young people would be given less opportunity to get a foot in the door and gain the essential experience they need.

'They would scrap National's successful 90-day trial legislation which would cost thousands of jobs, despite research showing that a third of employers who used the trial period would not have hired a new employee without it.”

Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei says under National, wages are not enough for many workers and their families to cover the basics and they are not enough to raise kids out of poverty.

'Half of all children below the poverty line have parents in work and nearly 40 per cent have parents who are in full time work.

'Under National, the number of children growing up in poverty in working households is growing, as wages fail to keep pace with rising housing costs.”

Metiria says a typical low-paid two-adult, two-child family will have $60 a week or $3,300 a year more because of the Living Wage, even once current Working for Families abatements are taken into account.

Simon says the Green Party would pay government employees at least the living wage, creating disparities between government and the private sector employees doing a similar job.

He says they would tax those same private sector employees more to make it happen.

'They would scrap the changes made to protect the screen industry in New Zealand which would effectively put thousands of jobs and our $3 billion screen industry at risk.

'National understands that flexibility, choice and fairness in the labour market are critical for supporting a stronger and more productive economy. It helps create jobs, increase wages and encourages innovation.”

You may also like....

13 comments

Older N Wiser

Posted on 02-09-2014 17:04 | By mouldy

Raising the minimum wage would improve the overal economy by putting more money in circulation. I would like to see Bridges try to live on the existing minimum wage. He has probable never done a decent days work in his life. He just sits in te Beehive nodding. Doesn't know the parcels of land he allows to be exploited


Budget

Posted on 02-09-2014 18:17 | By Blasta

It's easy to afford the LIVING wage for ALL staff. Just cut down the ridiculous hundreds of thousand dollar salaries for the executives and everybody wins


Greens

Posted on 02-09-2014 18:38 | By YOGI BEAR

In fairy land, they just don't realise that putting up wages like that just increases the cost of all. result no change, the only way to remedy is a productive increase, nothing else will achieve anything useful, but will drop NZ further into the financial abyss because of costs to high compared to overseas.


election soon

Posted on 02-09-2014 19:29 | By Captain Sensible

Wow, Simon has actually said something other than a story about his childhood picnics. Must be an election looming.


He is still a child

Posted on 02-09-2014 19:36 | By R1Squid

Enjoying his picnics.


Why a low wage economy

Posted on 02-09-2014 19:58 | By FunandGames

So Simon why is this wonderful Rock Star economy National tells us about so reliant on a low wage economy that is creating an underclass.


Simple Simon

Posted on 02-09-2014 20:09 | By Bobby

Simon is just repeating the party line sent from head office. good luck with your job hunting in October Simon, you'll need it


Correct, very simple

Posted on 02-09-2014 22:03 | By nerak

No room here to pull his ‘arguments' to pieces, which would be easy to do. ‘successful 90 day trial' my foot, it's still wide open to abuse by employers. Just keep hiding reality behind that plastic smile Simon, you do that much too well, and little else.


Only Believes

Posted on 03-09-2014 08:45 | By Merlin

He only believes no evidence.Studies throughout the world deny these claims


14 GK

Posted on 03-09-2014 08:50 | By 1 4 GK

If you raise lower pay rates, those above will want relativity restored so it'll be that old spiral all over again.


We are not slaves.

Posted on 03-09-2014 09:19 | By dgk

As a business owner, I'm looking forward to my customers having more to spend at my business.


Wages policy

Posted on 03-09-2014 14:37 | By Aster

on you Simon - telling it like it is! What dream world do these other wouldbe politicians and their supporters live in? creating more jobs through economic development makes more sense to me than expecting the business community to pay more to the same workforce that they already have. Increased productivity will lead to wage rises,not poorly thought out economic strategy.


By Aster

Posted on 03-09-2014 15:43 | By FunandGames

"Increased productivity will lead to wage rises" WRONG increased productivity leads to increased profits, and only increased wages when the businesses are forced to pay more. Get real.


Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.