British Columbia Federation of Labour

Vancouver-There should be no wage hike for MLAs until BC's lowest paid workers receive an increase to the minimum wage, says B.C. Federation of Labour President, Jim Sinclair.

"It's obscene to give major wage increases and not raise the minimum wage," said Sinclair.

Some analysts have pegged the proposed compensation proposal as a 65 percent increase beyond what MLAs earn today.

"No other British Columbian has received that kind of wage hike," Sinclair said. "If minimum wage went up by the same rate it would be over $13 per hour."

In a presentation to the Independent Commission to Review MLA Compensation, the Federation called for a fair pension plan for MLAs, in line with existing pension plans for public sector workers.

"We would support fair increases, but not a 65 percent hike. Politicians should be at the back of the line - not at the front," Sinclair added.

The B.C. Federation of Labour has been calling on the provincial government to immediately eliminate the $6 training wage and increase the minimum wage to $10 per hour, so a minimum-wage earner working full-time, would earn enough to stay above the poverty line. The Federation has also called for additional minimum wage increases to be tied to future rates of inflation, similar to legislation currently in place in Washington State.

"A fairer indexing formula for politicians," Sinclair says, "would tie future increases to BC's rate of inflation, just like our proposal for the minimum wage."

Since 2001, MLAs annual salaries have increased by $7,000. That's equal to almost 50 percent of a year's income for someone earning today's minimum wage.

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For more information contact: Jessie Uppal 604-430-1421 or 604-220-0739.