Auckland students skip school to rally against youth rates

Auckland school students say they are going to skip class today to support a rally to back a move to abolish youth pay rates.

School students are being bused to the rally in downtown Auckland, organised by a group called Radical Youth.

The rally is in support of Green MP Sue Bradford's Minimum Wage Amendment Bill, which will scrap youth pay rates.

Youth rates are currently set at $7.60 -- 80 per cent of the $9.50 adult minimum wage. If the bill is passed, the adult minimum wage would apply to all workers.

The bill has passed its first reading in Parliament and is being considered by a select committee.

A student from Western Springs College, who is a member of the Radical Youth group, said youth rates discriminated against people on the basis of age.

Western Springs College students would be walking out to "highlight the urgency and absolute necessity" that youth rates were abolished, said student spokesman Jack Brock.

"We are choosing to walkout from school to assert that this is an issue the Government must take responsibility for correcting," he said.

The students also wanted to highlight another issue -- the necessity for protection of younger workers, those under 16 years of age.

"The government currently has no minimum wage for these people making child labour legal, and children vulnerable to exploitation," student Joseph Minto said.

"This lack of protection opens the way for the abuse of these younger workers. This age group, if employed, must also receive the minimum wage," Mr Minto said.

Mr Minto is also a member of the Radical Youth group, which claims to be an anti-capitalist youth organisation working for social and economic justice.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said students should be at school, not striking.

Labour has backed Ms Bradford's bill but Helen Clark today told TVNZ she "absolutely" did not support the call today for students to leave school to take part in strikes in support of the bill.

"I have to say that all those students I would think would be breaking their schools disciplinary codes.

"Look, the school holidays aren't that far away and Sue Bradford's bill will still be in the parliamentary system at that point.

"That's when students should be using their own time to make the point about it. We live in a democracy, students are able to express their rights but they also have obligations to their school community and they shouldn't be leaving school for a protest."

Ms Bradford sees no wrong in the student walkout, saying she is not worried about them missing a bit of school given that youth rates is an urgent issue which most affects students.

National education spokesman Bill English said the students should be at school and schools should enforce their usual procedures to punish the students who were truanting.

"The best thing they can to avoid being on $10 an hour for the rest of their life is to stay at school and learn something."

Secondary Schools Association president Graham Young said he believed that if young people were being exploited through youth wages, it was appropriate some adjustment occurred.

"But on the other hand, I just don't believe that politics should enter the playgrounds of schools," he told National Radio.

- NZPA