Chamber wants halt to minimum wage increases
LETHBRIDGE – The government is about halfway through its target of raising the minimum wage in Alberta by nearly 50 per cent. But the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce wants the increases to stop, at least for now.
At $12.20/hour, Alberta now has the highest minimum in the country. In a letter to the labour minister, the Chamber says the higher wage is resulting in fewer jobs, benefits, hours, and opportunities to advance. The plan is to raise the wage to $15 by 2018.
“We have unemployment close to eight and a half per cent in this province,” chamber president Harry Gross said in an interview. “We have high youth unemployment, and concern that the minimum wage increases are not going to help either the economy or help the youth unemployment situation.”
Gross said the increases should be studied to see if they’re having the intended effect, along with negative side-effects on businesses struggling in the current economy. In a letter to the labour minister, the Chamber says the higher wage is resulting in fewer jobs, benefits, hours, and opportunities to advance.