Minimum wage

New York / Minimum-wage hike would kill 22,000 jobs over the next decade finds The National Federation of Independent Business

A proposal to hike the state’s minimum wage would kill 22,000 jobs over the next decade and cut economic output by $2.5 billion, New York’s small- business lobby claimed in a study released yesterday. The National Federation of Independent Business report estimates that seven of every 10 job losses would occur in small businesses, which … Continue reading →

Thailand / Private firms call for action as nationwide minimum wage hike looms

Thailand’s private sector today called on the government to take serious action to alleviate entrepreneurs’ financial burdens after the January 1 nationwide increase of the daily minimum wage to Bt300. Payungsak Chartsutipol, president of the Federation of Thai Industries, said a meeting of the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industries and Banking (JSCCIB) agreed to … Continue reading →

US / Minimm Wages / DOL sues Puerto Rico banana company

The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against a banana company in Puerto Rico accusing its owners of paying workers less than the minimum wage. The government accuses Bananera Fabre of paying workers $6.25 and $6.50 an hour instead of the required $7.25. The lawsuit states that the owners, Jose Fabre Laboy and … Continue reading →

South Africa / Farms accept minimum wage increase

Farmers accept that the minimum wage will increase. In addition farmers proposed that the parties jointly assess the nature and extent of ‘in kind’ benefits and how these should be accounted for in the wage structure. Whilst the affordability of higher wages may be a constraint, the broader policy environment which impacts on the sector’s profitability requires … Continue reading →

Manitoba / Lower wage for disabled, a ‘Relic’ to be repealed

The Selinger government will repeal a law that allows an employer to pay disabled workers less than minimum wage. Family Services and Labour Minister Jennifer Howard said the provision in the Employment Standards Code will be removed through legislation to be tabled Monday to mark the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. “It’s … Continue reading →

Malta / Minimum wage earners will pay tax

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has admitted that single people earning minimum wage will be paying tax on their gross incomes, due to the increase from the cost of living adjustment and the government bonus that will push the minimum wage into the taxable bracket. In an interview on Radju Malta’s Ghandi Xi Nghid, Gonzi confirmed … Continue reading →

Saskatchewan / Minimum wage in increases to $10.00 Saturday

The minimum wage in Saskatchewan is going up on Saturday. Last month, the province announced the minimum wage would increase from $9.50 to $10.00 per hour on Dec. 1. The increase will affect approximately 22,000 minimum wage earners, roughly five per cent of the paid workforce in the province. The minimum call-out pay will also … Continue reading →

Malaysia / Minimum Wage / Efforts to smoothen the transition for small and middle industries are seriously lacking

Although the minimum wage law is scheduled to take effect in January 2013, the Barisan Nasional government does not seem to be particularly committed to re-imagine the Malaysian economy through wage policy reform. Efforts to smoothen the transition for small and middle industries are seriously lacking too. Minimum wage is meant to tackle several long-standing … Continue reading →

Russia / 1.3 million on minimum wage

Over a million Russians get a monthly wage of $148, most of them from the public sector, well below the $220 poverty line. 650,000 Russians out of 1.3 million living on the minimum wage work in the public sector, according to the country’s Public Health and Social Development Ministry. The minimum wage is the lowest … Continue reading →

Indonesia / Govt to challenge Jakarta’s minimum wage

Industry Minister MS Hidayat said on Friday that he supported a plan of top businesspeople to challenge Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s decision to set Jakarta’s 2013 provincial minimum wage at Rp 2.2 million (US$228). “I have been informed by Apindo [Indonesian Employers Association] that it will file a lawsuit with the PTUN [state administrative … Continue reading →

Moderate minimum wages can do more good than harm writes The Economist

MINIMUM-WAGE laws have a long history and enduring political appeal. New Zealand pioneered the first national pay floor in 1894. America’s federal minimum wage dates from 1938. Most countries now have a statutory pay floor—and the ranks are still swelling. Even Germany, one of the few big countries without, may at last introduce a national … Continue reading →

Ohio / Minimum wage to increase in January

The Ohio Department of Commerce announced that minimum wage will increase by 15 cents, from $7.70 to $7.85 an hour, beginning Jan. 1. That means that in less than two months, Ohio’s minimum wage will reach 60 cents above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. For employees who receive tips, the new minimum … Continue reading →

Minimum Wage – The Debate in Video

Indonesia / Minimum Wage to Rise 44%

A 44 percent rise in the Jakarta minimum wage has prompted a major employer organization to warn of mass layoffs as companies grapple with the increased production costs, and led analysts to suggest that a major increase in productivity was needed to justify the hike. Employer groups have also expressed fears that the new Jakarta … Continue reading →

US / Raise the Minimum Wage

If Democrats/liberals really wanted to help the poor, a good place to start would be raising the minimum wage.  The exact amount is different depending on where one gets their information, but based on what I’ve read, if we took the minimum wage in 1968 and indexed it to inflation, these workers would make roughly … Continue reading →