Minimum wage rises

Specialist employment law firm Chapman Tripp reports that the minimum adult wage - which applies to people over 18 - will increase from $9.50 to $10.25 an hour from March 27.

The minimum youth wage for workers aged 16 and 17 years will also increase from $7.60 to $8.20 to stay at 80 per cent of the adult minimum wage. The minimum training wage will increase to the same rate. The Government's goal is for the adult minimum wage to reach $12 an hour by the end of 2008.

Speaking last week Prime minister Helen Clark says priority will be given to amending the Employment Relations Act clarifying the position of vulnerable workers on the sale transfer or contracting out of businesses.

The Parental Leave and Employment Protection Amendment Bill is due to be reported back from Select Committee on June 5. The primary aim of the Bill is to extend the paid parental leave scheme to include self-employed people.