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MPs should support the call to increase the minimum wage to $18.40.
That's according to the worker's union, First Union.
A document covered in signatures
of those who support a higher minimum wage in NZ.
First Union, along with other unions across the country,
are campaigning to raise the minimum wage to $18.40.
For those fortunate enough to work 40 hours a week,
that will give them about $730 gross.
However, the majority of Te Runanga o Te Arawa
budget advisory clients live on incomes
significantly lower than that.
No matter how much a person works,
some of them can never get out of poverty.
NZ's forestry industry
has had seven deaths this year alone,
which Daniels attributes partly to workers pushing to make ends meet.
While the support for the living wage campaign continues to grow,
for many of the families concerned,
learning how to manage that money responsibly
is also of great importance.
Perhaps over 90% of our families
struggle with managing their finances,
no matter how much or how little it is.
The union plan to take their campaign
to Rotorua MP Todd McClay's office in the coming weeks,
before taking it nationwide.
Kereama Wright, Te Karere.