Twenty five cents an hour will do nothing to reduce poverty, a union for low paid workers in retail, logistics and other sector says.

The Government’s Bill extending age-based discrimination in minimum wages breaches the Bill of Rights and should be struck down, FIRST Union said today.

$15 an hour is still not a living wage, but a union representing low paid workers says that a members’ bill lifting the minimum wage to that rate will prompt Parliament to debate the issue of poverty wages.

The wage gap with Australia wasn’t helped by yesterday’s increase of the Australian minimum wage to nearly $20 in New Zealand terms, a union for many low paid workers said today.

A union for low paid workers in retail, logistics and other sectors says a new campaign launched today in support of a living wage will capture the mind of the public, who are becoming more aware of growing inequality in New Zealand.