Thursday, July 2, 2015

LAST POST.


On my last day campaigning with my placard I decided to stand in the middle of our local supermarket carpark. After about twenty minutes the owner asked me to move on. I tried to engage him in conversation but he was not keen. Bearing in mind he only pays his workers $15 an hour, he departed saying he had an appointment.

   Later, I composed the following letter and sent it to the Wanaka Sun.

One business in Wanaka was described to me as “a licence to print money.” An exaggeration, of course. But why is it that some of the most consistently profitable businesses in town continue to pay their employees no more than $15 an hour? Is it because they are simply mean and don’t care, or that they are ignorant? Let’s be charitable and assume they don’t know what the ‘Living Wage’ is. So, according to the experts in this field: P King and C Waldegrave of the Anglican Family Centre of Social Policy and Research Unit, last year it was $18.80. 
News flash: it is now $19. 25 an hour. So let’s hope this news pricks the conscience of a few Wanaka employers.
However, unless compelled to, 90% of employers will never offer their workers a raise, no matter how good the workers are. So workers should remind themselves that without asking for a raise, they haven't a hope in hell of getting one.
Christopher Horan
Lake Hawea
  So, that's it. About six months once or twice a week walking around with my placard.  I won't miss it but I'm glad I made the effort. Did I achieve anything? I don't know. Did any low-paid worker get a raise because of my efforts? Don't know. What I do know is that a lot of people were glad of my support.