Labour Plans For A National Minimum Wage

EDM number 1111 in 1994-95, proposed by Norman Fowler on 10/05/1995.

That this House deplores the deceit of the Labour Party in failing to declare a figure for the national minimum wage; notes the report in the Guardian of 10th May that Mr Jack Dromey, husband of the honourable Member for Peckham, and challenger to Mr Morris for the TGWU leadership, `said that the TUC should campaign to persuade Labour to adopt a minimum wage figure of between ú4 and ú5 per hour before the election. He said he was confident that the TUC's policy will be ú4 per hour - "indeed, if you look ahead two years, it may be closure to ú5 per hour... we should seek support for that from the Labour Party".' further notes that studies by the OECD and IMF have stated that the policy of the minimum wage would cost jobs; recognises that a minimum wage in Britain of ú4 per hour, with only a half restoration of differentials would cost 750,000 jobs; reminds the honourable Member for Peckham of the comment of the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party on LWT, 25th May 1992 that 'I knew the consequences (of the minimum wage) were that there'd be some shake out (in the jobs market), any silly fool knew that'; and calls on the Labour Party to come clean on the level of the minimum wage and end this gross deceit of the British people.

This motion has been signed by a total of 50 MPs, 5 of these signatures have been withdrawn.