$2 an hour 'common' for migrants
Exploited migrant workers are being paid $2 an hour to work in small businesses such as ethnic restaurants.
Exploited migrant workers are being paid $2 an hour to work in small businesses such as ethnic restaurants.
It would do no harm - and possibly a great deal of good - for New Zealand to know the minimum a person needs to be paid in this country to have a "living wage".
Providing New Zealanders with a living wage is not high on the Government's agenda and it is unlikely to support the campaign, Prime Minister John Key said today.
Almost 750,000 Kiwis look set to be classed as the new working poor when the union movement fixes the value of a "living wage" needed to have a decent life here.
About 40 truck drivers serving Pak'nSave and New World supermarkets will lose their jobs this year when they are replaced by owner-drivers.
Actor Grae Burton was the classic "Kiwi bloke" in Tui beer commercials last year. His work only just earned him what unions consider a "living wage".
Salaries in high-demand industries are expected to rise by as much as $20,000 a year as New Zealand's talent pool dries up.
MPs will receive a 1.9 per cent pay increase, the Remuneration Authority confirmed this afternoon.
Real wages for many New Zealanders are falling, writes Peter Lyons. "It is becoming very hard to make ends meet for those at the bottom of the ladder who operate in the most competitive labour markets."
Low-wage workers look likely to get a small pay rise of under 3 per cent next April after the Government removed social factors from the criteria for setting the minimum wage.
Foreign Affairs chief executive John Allen has defended taking a $40,000 pay rise at a time of job cuts at his ministry, saying he did not believe it was a bad look.
Developers of the Novopay school payroll system have apologised over the ongoing pay problems that have pushed schools and their staff to breaking point.
Former Meridian Energy chief executive Tim Lusk was paid $1.37 million, including more than $800,000 in bonuses, during his last six months with the SOE.
Employment is a fearful responsibility, so the new youth rate is a temporary saving for employers to entice them to take a chance on a young person.
Workers' unions were quick to write off the Government's plan for a new, low, starting pay yesterday, while business leaders said it would help create jobs.
Trade unionists were quick to write off the Government's plan for a new, low, starting pay today, while business leaders said it would help create jobs.
The government will unveil the details of its version of the "youth wage" today - allowing employers to pay less than the minimum wage to many young workers.
"Frankly, I am not convinced that our CEOs are that great. In fact, they seem decidedly mediocre but not paid that way," writes Deborah Hill Cone.
Fees for board chairs have jumped in the past year as workloads increase and finance company prosecutions show the importance of directors "getting it right".
An OECD report has revealed that tertiary study adds little to New Zealanders' earning power.