The CTU welcomes the increase in the averagewage by 4.2% over the year.
The increase in the Labour Cost Index by 2.4%over the year is a record since 2009, and a third higher than it would havebeen without the minimum wage increase and collective pay settlements such asthose won by teachers and nurses.
“The broad picture is a good one and aresult of collective bargaining, minimum wage increases and better labourlaw,” CTU President, Richard Wagstaff said.
“If we are to turn this result into anongoing trend we need a sustained shift to meet the needs of lower and middleincome Kiwis. To do that we need a gear shift to make the structural changesneeded to improve work lives for Kiwis. This means the introduction of Fair PayAgreements.”
“Fair Pay Agreements would allow for amore transparent and equitable framework. The Labour Market statistics couldpaint a brighter future for all Kiwis with the passing of good Fair PayAgreement law,” Wagstaff said.
