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Gutless decision on minimum wage

by Whaleoil on February 9, 2012

National has raised the minimum wage by $0.50.

Why?

This is a gutless decision that is simply pricing more useless twats out of the market. Quite simply there are a lot of people who are barely worth $6.00 per hour and will remain permanently indigent with an artificial floor on their worth to an employer.

Labour of course are aghast that it isn’t enough, but as Cactus Kate pointed out at Red Alert just the other David “Blue Suit” Cunliffe was carping that $20.00 wasn’t enough for an office delivery person, about as unskilled as you can get for a job.

Labour campaigned for $15.00 per hour for the minimum wage, what is the bet that if National had caved and done that they would then be whining for $20.00 per hour.Labour party

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  • Blokeintakapuna

    A minimum starting rate is just that – a starting rate. People with motivation and the right attitude towards ensuring their employer’s business best interests are always put first, never stay on the minimum starting rate for long. Up-skilling yourself leads to increased opportunity to move beyond the starting point – but it does take personal responsibility – something Labour Party members find distasteful – an individual taking personal responsibility for their actions / situation.
     
    Besides – there’s no such thing as real poverty in NZ – only poor spending choices. Talk to me about poverty from the slums of India or Bangladesh and I’ll listen. Talk to me here about poverty and I’ll tell you about those some households with Sky TV, smokers, drinkers, gamblers, who often eat fast food and don’t bother growing their own food. With all the welfare assistance NZ offers to families, it’s not that NZ has a poverty issue – only parents that breed beyond their means to support their dependants, who worsen their situation by poor spending priorities. Sky TV, alcohol and cigarettes are NOT essential items to be spending children’s lunches on.

    • http://whoar.co.nz/ phillip ure

       oecd figures ..and more..put the lie to yr claim of ‘no poverty in nz’…

      ..and of course you would be somehat sheltered over there in takapuna..

      ..not a lot of that poverty stuff in minnehaha ave..eh..?

      ..and a fact-check for you…

      …there are many many houses out there that have sky ariels on their walls/roofs..

      ..but don’t ‘have’ sky..

      ..(tho’..most in minnehaha ave would be hooked up..eh..?)

      ..are you just shouting at/to us over the bridge..

      ..that we should consume some baked goods..?

      ..fact-check..fast/junk-food is cheap…poor people have to factor that is..

      ..and..an extremely depressing exercise is to walk thru the supermarket in otara…

      ..and see what choices a largely pedestrian-bound/captive-audience actually have..

      ..(the differing food choices in different socio-economic areas are telling..

      ..and the worst echo the ‘food-deserts’ in america..

      phil@whoar.

  • Anonymous

    Increasing the minimum wage creates or facilitates unemployment, particularly amongst the young. Lowering the minimum wage is politically unfeasible unless, say, unemployment hits something massive like 40%, but upping it like this? Not a fan, a) because most mimimum wage jobs pay minimum wage for a reason, b) because this just isn’t the right time to be point scoring with the poor and c) the ultra-poor don’t vote National anyway, so there’s no point politically.

  • http://whoar.co.nz/ phillip ure

    of course the minimum wage should be at least $20 per hr…

    ..how can you rightwing ‘economic-rationalists’ defend a system where the state/taxpayers pay to prop up businesses that can only survive by paying slave wages..

    ..or are just too greedy..(fast-food-chains)..to pay a fair wage…?

    ..cd one of you explain the economic-rationale behind that stance..?

    ..’cos i’m buggered if i can see any..

    phil@whoar.

     

    • http://www.whaleoil.co.nz Whaleoil

      No Phil, there should be no minimum wage rate at all….plus the State shouldn’t prop up any company ever.

      Where is the state currently propping up businesses that pay the minimum wage…and calling it “slave wages” is bullshit too because we all know slaves aren;t paid at all, and though that is tempting for some cretins currently enjoying attending a place of work simply isn’t feasible in the long run.

      • http://whoar.co.nz/ phillip ure

        “..Where is the state currently propping up businesses that pay the minimum wage…”

        what are working for families top-ups for low/slave-wage workers..?

        and ‘slave-wage’ has more uses in the english language than just the literal..

        ..and yr ‘no-minimum-wage’ is a tooth and claw capitalist fantasy/wet-dream..

        ..it ain’t goona happen..

        ..aren’t we focussing on what we ‘can do’..?

        phil@whoar.

    • AnonWgtn

      More bollocks Phillip. Arrogant prick – again

      • http://whoar.co.nz/ phillip ure

        literate-argument from anonwgt..again..

        (yeah..wise for you to be/stay anon..eh.?

        …the public-derision would hurt..)

        phil@whoar.

    • In Vino Veritas

      Businesses that survive phillip, survive by being able to sell something to someone prepared to buy it. Therefore, it wages are put up to your $20 per hour, the cost of the product being sold goes up, and the people on $20 and hour have to pay more to buy it.  Having seen some of your posts, this “phenomenon” has a name and I believe you know what it is…..
      And before you start, in between all this, the provider of capital to start the business, has taken a risk with hisher money. That risk is rewarded with a suitable return (which has to be significantly greater than say, putting it in the bank, else why would anyone bother?) or alternatively a loss of capital if the business fails.
      And again, this is not news to you.

      • http://whoar.co.nz/ phillip ure

        yes vino..but it is a matter of balancing all those imperatives..

        ..and currently we are seriously out of whack..

        ..(as all the stats just confirm..)

        ..we need to regain that balance..

        phil@whoar.

    • Vij

      That’s right Phil, money grows on trees.  Why don’t you set up a real business, employ some staff in the 20%, who like you you can’t write, and pay them $20.00/hr, pay the rent, utilities, insurance, rates and other fixed costs and see how you go.  You are “buggered” because you have no clue and you spend your time writing rubbish.  What a silly man you are.

      • http://whoar.co.nz/ phillip ure

         are you just ignoring the widely documented facts/stats of our neo-lib-driven slide down the crapper…?

        ..no problem(s)..eh..?

        phil@whoar.

      • Vij

        No Phil.  I’m commenting on the rubbish you write.  Please go and start a business and employ staff, pay $20/hr and all the fixed costs of running  a business, then you will make some sense when you comment on such issues.  Come on, get off your  profession of choice of doing nothing, and making all of us who work and pay tax support you.

    • James Gray

      Phillip, please explain how the state is propping up businesses who are paying slave wages?

      If you mean WINZ subsidies or WFF, I doubt you’d find many people here who would defend those.

      • http://whoar.co.nz/ phillip ure

         so..why do you oppose moves/ideas to do away with them..?

        ..and to turn to a ‘purer-market-model’..

        ..where businesses stand or fall on their ability to pay their workers a living wage…

        ..(let’s say $20 per hr..for arguments sake..)

        ..and where the greedy/exploitive/huge-(expatriated)-profit-making min-wage payers..(fast-food chains etc..)..are forced to do the same…

        ..which means the state will have to no longer subsidise them..?

        ..what’s not to love about that..?

        ..(this is a major-disconnect you righties have..eh..?..

        ..you really gotta get that sorted..eh..?..)

        phil@whoar.

      • James Gray

        Not at all, I believe subsidies should be discontinued, and if people require this money they will need to make themselves more attractive to an employer, so that employers are willing to pay them this money.

    • http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/ Inventory2

       You’ve got a nerve trying to talk up the minimum wage Phil, when you have made a conscious decision NOT to work, and to accept a taxpayer funded benefit for so many years.

      • Vij

        Really, I never knew that.  So he is a lazy slob who can’t be bothered to work or is it because no one will hire him because of the way he writes.

      • http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/ Inventory2

         He’s CHOSEN to stay at home and look after his teenaged son Vij. Phil is perfectly capable of working, has completed a university degree from home (supposedly), but shirks work. That is why commenters here treat him with such contempt.

      • http://whoar.co.nz/ phillip ure

         i also do movie reviews..

        ..never made a movie in my life..eh..?

        phil@whoar.

    • MrV

      Will you accept that its not possible to legislate for wealth … otherwise we would already have done it?
      Who knew thats all poverty stricken Africa had to do to earn a living first world wage, just pass a $20 minimum wage.

      • http://whoar.co.nz/ phillip ure

        it is possible to legislate for more equality..mrv..

        ..as you will find out..

        ..we have actually been ‘legislating’ for just the opposite outcome..

        ..with more than a measure/modicum of success..

        ..(that’s been that neo-lib-revolution..eh..?..)

        ..anyway..i hafta go and write a commentary on questiontime..which starts soon..)

        phil@whoar..

    • Anonymous

      Holy shit! The ultimate bludger complaining about someone only surviving due to receiving state/taxpayer money. How about you survive without taxpayer funding before you start throwing stones?

  • Lcmortensen

    Easy answer – inflation.

    A 2008 minimum wage of $12.00, in 2012 dollars is… $13.40. So only a 10c increase, the rest has been consumed by inflation.

    • http://whoar.co.nz/ phillip ure

       it is more the rightwing/neo-lib drive against workers/wages/unions..

      ..and this is the result we have got..

      ..with the decades of soaring profits for the (currently terrified of the changes they see coming) elites..and treading water at best for the rest..

      ..(once again..all confirmed by the stats..)

      phil@whoar.

      • Vij

        more rubbish from you

      • johnopkb

        Who presided over the most recent complete decade of “soaring profits”, and what did she do to improve the lot of workers/wages/unions? 

        Behave

  • Andy

    What else needs to be considered in the minimum wage debate is that most people on it most likely receive WFF and therefore do not pay any net tax.
    I believe that the current minimum wage, including all government subsidies is more like NZ$20 p.h..

    • http://whoar.co.nz/ phillip ure

       i agree..and the economic-enterprises should be paying that..

      ..not the state…

      ..and if companies can’t pay that $20..they aren’t viable businesses..

      ..it is as simple as that really..

      phil@whoar.

      • Vij

        Really, why don’t you start a business, and let us see how you go.  

      • Euan Rt

        Phillip ure talking about viable, ha ha ha. Now that is rich.

      • Thorn

        More manUre.

      • James Gray

        No, the state should stop subsidizing, and stop prohibiting people from working for an amount they’ve agreed to.

  • Lesterpk

    Its a 3.8% increase, much more than I got in my last 3 years as a government worker.

  • Stephen Berry

    The minimum wage should be completely abolish and a tax free threshold of $15000 a year instituted. This will allow low income earners to keep more of their income (an extra $30 a week no matter what they earn) while slashing unemployment figures.

  • Kane Bunce

    I don’t have the skills to be worth the current $13 an hour in anything other than horse related work, let alone $13.50. If they want to make low wage workers, they should make massive spending cuts they can fund a tax free threshold larger than Australia’s and lower taxes, starting with lowering GST back to 12.5% or better yet 10%. The latter would not only make us competitive on income taxes, but overall tax levels, even spending based taxes.