|
|
Article: Minimum sense: Labour's wage policy. (U.K. Labour Party advocates a minimum wage law)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- April 5, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
A VICTORIOUS Labour government would introduce a national minimum wage. This would fly in the face of economic logic, and be unlikely to deliver the social benefits that the party claims for it. No wonder Labour hopes to limit debate on the subject by not saying what the minimum wage would be, leaving that to a post-election Low Pay Commission which will include representatives of both employers and employees.
When Labour does discuss the policy, its arguments are unconvincing. Ian McCartney, the party's employment spokesman, claimed this week that the main beneficiaries of a minimum wage would be low-income households. To back up this claim, he cited Holly ...