John Key's track record on raising wages - 9. Conclusion

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Continued from: John Key’s track record on raising wages – 8. An End to Collective Agreements

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Thus far we have seen no concrete  indications that John Key is implementing his  promises in 2008, 2009, 2010,  2011, and this year,   to raise wages.

Instead, Key and his cronies in National have been studiously  implementing law-changes that will inevitably result in the opposite;  a dismantling of hard-won working conditions; an  undermining of worker-representation in negotiations, and an eventual lowering of wages .

The only conclusion  that can be made is that Key has wilfully deceived voters. His public statements advocated raising wages whilst in back-rooms, he and  National Party ministers have been contriving to achieve a diametrically opposite agenda.

It serves National’s undisclosed agenda to lower wages, to attract international ‘investment’, and to allow corporations to increase profits on the backs of low-paid workers.

The process has already begun. As Bill English said on TVNZ’s  Q+A, last year,

“Well, it’s a way of competing, isn’t it? I mean, if we want to grow this economy, we need the capital – more capital per worker – and we’re competing for people as well…

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… we need to get on with competing with Australia. So if you take an area like tourism, we are competing with Australia. We’re trying to get Australians here instead of spending their tourist dollar in Australia.” – Bill English, 10 April 2011

See: Low wages ‘advantage’ for NZ – English

The result was wholly predictable, and the headlines tell the story,

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Full story

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Source

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How does this raise wages?

Answer: it doesn’t.

Next and final chapter: 10. A New Government’s Response

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