The national minimum wage has been a success. It has lifted some of the lowest paid out of poverty. It has not destroyed jobs as some feared it would. But to receive the full minimum wage you have to be aged 21 or over.
It is a disgrace that for up to five years of working life people can be paid less than the “minimum”.
For some years, Liberal Democrats have called for the full minimum wage to protect eveyone in work regardless of their age. But this position is facing challenge at Conference. The “Freedom from Poverty” motion (to be debated Tues 18th at 15.10) includes a proposal to restrict the NMW to those over age 21. Anticipating the amendment that a lot of people would put in, the agenda already provides for a seperate vote on this point.
I will be voting for “Option B”: keeping our commitment to the full minimum wage for everyone in work, i.e everyone aged over 16.
Young people are perhaps the most vulnerable to exploitation in the workplace and deserve at least the same protection as everyone else.
Some people will say that reducing wages for under-21s will “encourage” them to continue full-time education. If a young adult as decided to leave school and get a job I doubt it will make the difference. In any event, that’s not the point. In a liberal society people should be free to make their own decisions. Social security and workplace laws (such as the NMW) are an exception to normal economics to deal with extreme situations where the weakest and poorest need protection. But it’s not for the state to try to rig free decisions my partially removing social protection from a certain group of people.
A liberal state is one that treats every citizen equally. If the NMW is a justified public policy, which I believe it is, then it is grossly illiberal to deny it to some of our citizens on the basis of their age.
Sex discrimination in pay has been rightly outlawed on the basis of “equal pay for equal work”. The same clarion call of equality applies here.
If you’re going to Brighton please join me in voting for option B: the minimum wage for everyone in work over age 16.
September 9, 2007 at 3:46 pm |
[...] Conference: we must continue to back full minimum wage for over-16s on Anthony Hook’s blog A polemic on an issue coming up for conference. Let the pre-debate [...]