No Tinkering with Minimum Wage, says UUP
Following a vote in the Assembly supporting a UUP motion to oppose any attempts to replace the national minimum wage with regional variants, UUP Lagan Valley MLA Basil McCrea said in a statement,
“The minimum wage is about trying to ensure fairness and equity in the employment market. It is designed to look after the many people who work hard at jobs that require only modest, formal qualifications. The minimum wage is their safeguard to a fair wage for a fair day’s work and we must resist any attempts to reduce it or tinker with it.
It is equally important that we provide the correct incentive for those people who are currently on benefits but that are able to enter the job market. Maintaining the differential between benefits and entry level jobs is of paramount importance to the future growth of our economy.”