Aberavon MP Welcomes National Minimum Wage Rise
21st May 2009
It has been ten years since Labour introduced the National Minimum Wage here in the UK. It is easy to forget how groundbreaking its introduction was. Today, the NMW is a fundamental feature of the UK’s employment landscape and its one that this Government has worked hard to protect.
Dr Francis said,
“The National Minimum Wage, as I see it, is an essential part of the UK’s employment framework. It is a standard that protects the rights of this country’s world respected workforce, without who the UK will not succeed in the upturn”
“I appreciate this is less that some workers had hoped for and more than some businesses had wanted, but our Labour Government has worked hard to find a balance that takes into account the worsening economic conditions, while protecting the UK’s low-paid and most vulnerable workers.
“We only have to look back at the salary of many employees before the minimum wage was introduced to measure its success. For the first time, employees were provided a national minimum floor, guaranteeing an acceptable income for every household. Ten years on, 950,000 to 1 million workers still stand to benefit from the uprating of the minimum wage.”
From October, the minimum wage for workers over 22 years old will increase from £5.73 ph to £5.80 ph and for workers aged 18 – 21 years old it will rise from £4.77 to £4.83 ph.
The Conservative Party, including David Cameron, fought against the minimum wage and a group of Tories are trying to undermine the NMW by allowing employees to ‘opt out’ of it. Labour will ensure these moves are defeated!
