[Metrobeans]

M70 - Living Wage Motion - Conservative Party

This House disapproves of the introduction of a government-forced Living Wage for workers in this country. Whilst a Living Wage appears on the face of things to be a well-meaning proposal, it would actually negatively impact many British people and the economy as a whole.

The objective of a Living Wage is to ensure that the poor are paid a wage which is high enough for them to live a sufficient quality of lifestyle, however, this House believes that in practise it would do nothing of the kind. All a Living Wage would do is consign those who do not have skills sufficient enough to warrant being paid such a high wage into unemployment. For it forces employers to discriminate against the unskilled. An employer is never going to pay someone a Living Wage if he doesn't have the skills and/or qualifications to warrant it. As such a Living Wage imposition would lead to higher unemployment, affecting those with low skills especially and thus would actually lead to making many of the poor even worse off.

This House believes that those with poor skills need to refine their skills and develop new ones; and that one of the best ways to allow them to do this is to open the barriers for employment by keeping the Living Wage out of law so that they can experience the world of work first hand; many would simply not find a job at all if a Living Wage were enforced.

[Rakas21]

Aye.

[Lipvig]

Aye.

[Metrobeans]

The aye's have it! The aye's have it!