It's NOT OK, Says the NZ Council of Trade Unions

The NZCTU has slammed a Government decision, announced in the 2024 Budget, to axe a fall-back program that ensured disabled workers were paid the minimum wage.

“It's disgraceful that this Government is cutting the incomes of hundreds of New Zealand workers," said NZCTU's President, Richard Wagstaff.

“The idea that any worker should be paid below the minimum wage, let alone as low as $2 per hour, is totally unacceptable.

“The Government was elected on a platform of supporting New Zealanders through the cost-of-living crisis, and yet with this change they are intentionally making life harder for disabled workers,” he said.

Workers with Disabilities Deserve to Work with Dignity & A Livable Income

“The previous Government’s decision to end the minimum wage exemption for disabled workers by paying employers a subsidy, had been a welcome and long-overdue decision,” said Nicole Wallace, convenor of Kaimahi Whaikaha, the NZCTU's disabled workers representative group.

“That policy was the result of decades of advocacy by workers with disabilities, the union movement, and disabled people’s organisations.  

“It is deeply disappointing that the new Government is reversing that policy and condemning many disabled workers to low wages.

“Workplace discrimination and lack of access to work are a significant contributor to high rates of poverty among people with disabilities. This decision will further increase poverty among disabled people,” said Wallace.

Ref:  New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (www.union.org.nz)