A step in the right direction……..That’s the reaction of Jean-Claude Basque, the provincial Co-Ordinator of the Common Front for Social Justice on the minimum wage going up next April to $10.65 cents an hour, an increase of 30 cents from where it is now.
The Common Front is still calling for a living wage of 15 dollars an hour but Basque says he realises it can’t be done overnight. The provincial government intends to raise the minimum wage to 11 dollars an hour by 2017.
The Director of Provincial Affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Denis Robichaud points out 70 per cent of small businesses in New Brunswick already pay more than the minimum wage. He warns those people who don’t, will have to raise prices or cut back on employee hours.
