Tories plan to scrap Minimum Wage is cause for Wage Concern

08.05.09

Usdaw, the shopworkers’ union, is leading a campaign to save the National Minimum Wage from a Tory Bill to scrap it.

Usdaw has teamed up with John Prescott’s Go Fourth campaign and other unions, to launch ‘Wage Concern’ to stop a Tory Private Members Bill that will totally undermine the minimum wage and drive millions of workers back to poverty pay.

The Employment Opportunities Bill, tabled by Senior Conservative Christopher Chope, who as a minister helped bring in the Poll Tax, is timetabled for its second reading in Parliament next Friday 15 May.

During the Bill’s first reading, Mr Chope said it will: “Introduce more freedom, flexibility and opportunity for those seeking employment in the public and private sectors.”

The Bill, which is supported by ten other Tory MPs, aims to: 

• allow employers to opt-out of the minimum wage 
• ensure all public sector jobs are advertised openly 
• grant the ‘right to work’ under the Declaration of Human Rights by allowing workers to be paid less than the minimum wage

Usdaw campaigned for a Labour Government to introduce the minimum wage in 1999. The Union is now asking all trade unionists and working people to save the minimum wage by signing the petition launched today at http://www.wageconcern.com  

John Hannett, Usdaw General Secretary and member of the Low Pay Commission, said:

“The minimum wage provides income protection and security for millions of workers. It stops unscrupulous employers from driving down wages across the board. The new Tory ‘Employment Opportunities Bill’ would allow employers to opt out of their responsibility to their staff to pay a fair days wage for a fair day’s work and effectively bring an end to the National Minimum Wage.

“This shows the Tories in their true light and is a little insight into what a Conservative Government would do. They are still fighting the battles of the 1980s and 90s when they abolished the wages councils and left my members and millions of other workers without wage protection. David Cameron talks about an age of austerity, well we now know that he means it for low-paid workers.

“There is always pressure on wages and the minimum wage is needed to ensure people are paid fairly. I urge anyone who cares about the protection of our workforce to log on to http://www.wageconcern.com and sign the petition to save our minimum wage.”

John Prescott added:

“Only a Tory could suggest that not being able to work for less than minimum wage would be a denial of Human Rights. This from a party that actually wants to abolish the Human Rights Act and provide cheaper labour.

“We call on everyone who believes in fairness and social justice to join Wage Concern and help us kill this Tory Bill on May 15.”

Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:

“Christopher Chope and his Tory cabal want to turn the clock back to the days of poverty pay where workers are exploited by unscrupulous bosses. The sham Caring Conservatism is stripped bare by their plans. They have shown clearly that they are not on the side of ordinary hard-working people. The minimum wage is a symbol of a civilised society, a floor to protect workers that gives them dignity. It is needed more than ever in tough economic times. And isn’t it typical of the Tories that their response to the recession is to rob the poor to keep the rich?

“UNISON fought long and hard to establish the statutory National Minimum Wage, in the teeth of opposition and unfounded scaremongering about massive job losses. Any attempt to dilute or abolish it will be resisted.”