Allan Petrie welcomes news on National Minimum Wage
Dundee Liberal candidate for Dundee East, Allan Petrie, has today (Friday 1st October) welcomed the increase of the National Minimum Wage and other changes announced by the Liberal Democrat Minister Edward Davey.
Mr Petrie said, "The Low Pay Commission estimates that around 970,000 people stand to benefit from the increases and changes being brought in by the coalition. Even the TUC General Secretary concedes that these increases will put extra cash in the pockets of some of the UK's lowest paid workers and welcomed the significant gains for apprentices and young workers.
Mr Petrie continued, "As well as the welcome raise in the minimum wage that will give over £200 per year extra to many of the lowest paid in the country, there are also major changes in the payment system. The age threshold for paying the adult rate will be reduced from 22 to 21, giving an estimated 50,000 people a pay rise of more than 20%, and a new hourly rate of £2.50 will be introduced for apprentices - something ignored by the last Labour Government. Labour refused to give them a statutory wage."
"I also welcome the announcement from the Government that those employers who deliberately flout minimum wage laws will be publicly named under the new scheme"
"It is however sad that after this announcement that will help hundreds of thousands of the lowest paid workers that neither the SNP government in Scotland nor the Labour Party have welcomed it. Instead they persist in their scaremongering about the cuts to reduce the Labour Deficit. They do not seem to be interested in the new politics being brought forward by the Coalition Government and are still living in the negativity of the past."