The minimum wage will rise again on April 1, up 50c to $15.75 an hour, but no-one seems happy with the announcement yesterday by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse. The starting-out and training hourly minimum wage rates would increase from $12.20 an hour to $12.60, remaining at 80% of the adult minimum wage. Taxpayers Union executive director Jordan Williams said the increase of the minimum wage was more than eight times the level of inflation. ''The Government knows very well hiking the minimum wage faster than inflation means those most vulnerable are priced out of the job market. One way to address those issues in a meaningful way was to progressively increase the minimum wage in real terms, Mr Treen said.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 24, 2017 17:09 UTC