Agenda item

National Minimum Wage

It was moved by Councillor Ben Curran, seconded by Councillor Adam Hurst, that this Council:-

(a)       celebrates the 15th anniversary of the introduction of the National Minimum Wage, which falls this year, and the contribution it has made to making work pay, boosting living standards and tackling in-work poverty;

(b)       notes that, before the National Minimum Wage was established, poverty pay was widespread and that the Conservative Party opposed its introduction;

(c)        further notes that families are on average £1,600 worse off a year, and that the National Minimum Wage is now worth less in real terms, than in May 2010;

(d)       further notes that the Government has not backed up its promise to name and shame firms not paying the minimum wage;

(e)       calls on the Government to strengthen enforcement of the National Minimum Wage, including by increasing fines for non-payment of the National Minimum Wage and giving local authorities enforcement powers;

(f)        welcomes the action of the present Administration in implementing the Living Wage within the Council after the previous Administration failed in their pledge to do so, and the policy of supporting a Living Wage for Sheffield involving partners across the city in public, private and voluntary sector organisations; and

(g)       further calls on the Government to encourage employers to pay a living wage and take action to restore the value of the National Minimum Wage so that the UK can earn its way out of the cost of living crisis and to help control the cost of social security.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, seconded by Councillor Andrew Sangar, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the deletion of paragraphs (c) to (g); and

2.         the addition of new paragraphs (c) to (g) as follows:-

(c)        praises measures championed by Liberal Democrats in Government to support the low paid, including a £700 tax cut for ordinary workers;

(d)       compares this to the last Government who scrapped the 10p tax, leaving half a million of the lowest paid workers worse off;

(e)       notes that British workers – excluding the richest 10% – saw their take-home pay rise in real terms in the past year;

(f)        however, recognises that more needs to be done to support low paid workers and therefore welcomes calls from The Rt. Hon. Vince Cable MP for a significant rise in the minimum wage; and

(g)       furthermore, supports the Liberal Democrat aspiration to raise the income tax threshold again to lift all workers on national minimum wage out of income tax altogether.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived. 

The original Motion was then put to the vote and carried, as follows:-

RESOLVED:  That this Council:-

(a)       celebrates the 15th anniversary of the introduction of the National Minimum Wage, which falls this year, and the contribution it has made to making work pay, boosting living standards and tackling in-work poverty;

(b)       notes that, before the National Minimum Wage was established, poverty pay was widespread and that the Conservative Party opposed its introduction;

(c)        further notes that families are on average £1,600 worse off a year, and that the National Minimum Wage is now worth less in real terms, than in May 2010;

(d)       further notes that the Government has not backed up its promise to name and shame firms not paying the minimum wage;

(e)       calls on the Government to strengthen enforcement of the National Minimum Wage, including by increasing fines for non-payment of the National Minimum Wage and giving local authorities enforcement powers;

(f)        welcomes the action of the present Administration in implementing the Living Wage within the Council after the previous Administration failed in their pledge to do so, and the policy of supporting a Living Wage for Sheffield involving partners across the city in public, private and voluntary sector organisations; and

(g)       further calls on the Government to encourage employers to pay a living wage and take action to restore the value of the National Minimum Wage so that the UK can earn its way out of the cost of living crisis and to help control the cost of social security.

(Note: Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Shaffaq Mohammed, Rob Frost, Colin Ross, Penny Baker, Diana Stimely, Roger Davison, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Bob McCann, Anders Hanson, Katie Condliffe, David Baker and Trevor Bagshaw voted for Paragraphs (a), (b) and (g) of the Motion and against all of the remaining paragraphs and asked for this to be recorded.)