The Minimum Wage review is crucial to the accommodation and tourism sector.For me there are two disappointing aspects on this issue in the press to date. Firstly it would appear that Key is softening and secondly the Minimum Wage debate appears to be territory where our industry representatives are afraid to tread. Their silence has been deafening. (Please correct me if I am wrong).
Accommodation providers and the wider tourism industry will need to look to Business New Zealand chief executive Phil O'Reilly to speak common sense on their behalf.
O'Reilly has said that "businesses struggling to break even will lay off workers if they are faced with increasing costs that does nothing to boost sales.....low paid workers would be better off with a tax cut rather than an increase in the minimum wage."
