Living Wage Meeting

Living Wage ($19.80per hour)

I attended a meeting held by the Living Wage Aotearoa organisation last night at the Hubwest Community Centre in Corban Ave Henderson.

The agenda of the meeting was to call on all candidates for Auckland Council to show support, or not, for 7 questions grouped under three headings; A Living Wage, Transport and Housing. The meeting started with an address from several different individuals, some giving facts and figures about Council, the economy and social demographics. The large salaries paid to senior Council staff, was highlighted and how it would take a very small percentage decrease, in those salaries, to give a sizeable wage increase to staff at the bottom of Council’s pay scale. Others gave testimony to their personal situations in low-paid menial jobs, particularly Council employment. Some of these personal testimonies were pretty raw and highlighted the two-tier economy that I believe is developing in Auckland. More than one speaker commented that Auckland City has the mission statement of “the world’s most liveable city” and for many working West Auckland people, this is not just untrue and an insult considering their daily life struggles.

Then the Council Candidates present, were given two minutes to speak to the first three questions. Then they were challenged to answer yes or no, to those questions. After a break, this was repeated for the last four questions. In my address, I told the audience I was a tradesman (pretty obvious in my blue overalls). That so were my three children. That my youngest son was a drain layer and the core of his trade is to pipe shit downhill. That he had to put his hands in places other people wouldn’t. That after doing that some people felt they shouldn’t need to pay him the wages he asked, just because of the dirty menial job he does. I did the best I could, in two minutes, to demonstrate I have some empathy for their situation.

I then spoke of the salary distortions a Living Wage (minimum wage in other words) of $19.80 per hour would cause. I explained the wage relativity between senior and junior staff would be destroyed.  That a senior experienced staff member who has been with a company for many years, is worth three or four school leavers or teenage apprentices. Competition and market forces prohibits small business paying their best and most valued staff members, four times $19.80 per hour, no matter how much they may want to. And for these reasons I could not support these seven challenges.

Reflecting on the meeting, I keep thinking of the speakers who challenged Auckland’s mission statement of “the world is a most liveable city” calling it a lie. Maybe changing it to say “the world’s most fair city” would better frame the discussion and keep the wider community focused on the issue.