News from Vale of Clwyd Labour

Celebrating 10 years of the Minimum Wage!

Vale of Clwyd AM, Ann Jones has tabled a Statement of Opinion at the Assembly marking the 10th Anniversary of the National Minimum Wage.

Labour’s groundbreaking introduction of the minimum wage has been a major step in overcoming poverty and ending the tyranny of low pay. When the National Minimum Wage came into being, wages of as little as £1.20 an hour were common and legal – this works out as £1.38 an hour in today’s prices.

Since April 1st 1999, the minimum wage has risen each year and now stands at £5.73 an hour.

Ann Jones AM has joined her Labour colleagues in Cardiff Bay and Westminster in condemning recent Conservative attempts to introduce an opt-out of the minimum wage thus making it redundant.

Ann Jones AM said:

“The anniversary of the minimum wage is one worth celebrating!

“This is a landmark piece of legislation that has kept delivering substantial increases for so many people in Wales and the UK as a whole. As it stands, the Minimum Wage is 63% higher than the 1999 figure, proving Labour’s commitment to workers across the country and across the sectors.

“Any attempts by the Tories to abolish this should be met with contempt. This is part of British society – we can never let them get away with removing it!

“We can’t go back to the old days where people were bullied and threatened out of a fair wage. This is typical of the Tories, they want to see a race to the bottom. I am confident that the working public won’t put up with it.

“They say they’ve changed but I see no sign of this. They demand poverty of the hard working majority and still have the nerve to call themselves compassionate.”

Other news from Vale of Clwyd Labour

• Labour AM calls on Welsh Assembly to promote local produce - 29 September 2010
• Wales Union Learning Fund under threat of Tory cuts - 25 September 2010
• Teachers and pupils praised for exam success in Wales - 22 August 2010