On Thursday, the Newfoundland and Labrador minimum wage will reach $10 an hour.
Lana Payne, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL) - a member of the Make work Pay Coalition, said it is an important milestone for those who believe in economic justice.
Payne noted in a news release, however, there is still work to be done.
"We would like to see a formula that would result in automatic annual increases in the minimum wage," Payne said. "That formula could tie annual increases to the average wage increase in the province, or to the annual cost of living. This would prevent any erosion in the minimum wage over time."
Payne said the province must guard against what happened in the 1990s when increases to the minimum wage were "infrequent and totally inadequate" causing the value of the wage to erode.
By 2006, she noted, the province's minimum wage was worth considerably less than it had been in 1976 and far below the poverty line for someone working full-time at that wage.
In response, the labour movement, women, student and social groups, as well as anti-poverty activists, formed the Newfoundland and Labrador Make Work Pay Coalition to fight for a $10 minimum wage.
According to the release, at that time, 30 per cent of people who worked in the province were making $10 an hour or less and 40 per cent of working women were.
"Historically, Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest minimum wage in the Canada. We also had the highest poverty," Payne said. "Neither is true today. And nor should it be. Our province has experienced much prosperity in the last number of years and we must ensure everyone benefits."
Federation of Labour welcomes increase in minimum wage
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Published on
June 30, 2010
- Published on July 20, 2010
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Staff ~ The Telegram
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