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All direct and indirect employees will be paid at least $16.74 an hour, well above minimum wage rates in B.C. and across Canada.
Ottawa (10 May 2010) - The city of New Westminster, B.C., has become the first municipality in Canada to adopt a living wage policy.
Approved unanimously by members of the council, the policy will reduce poverty and support working families by ensuring that all employees employed directly by the city - or indirectly through contractors - will earn at least $16.74 an hour. The rate is well above minimum wage rates in B.C. and across Canada.
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) says the city has now set an example for all other municipalities to emulate. "The rate to the bottom must stop. All workers, permanent, part-time and contract alike, deserve a decent living wage," the congress says.
The CLC offered congratulations to the New Westminster and District Labour Council, BC ACORN, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and all other community activists and union members who worked on the Living Wage for Families campaign.
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The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE