With minimum wage increasing by 20 cents on Tuesday across the province, the Manitoba Federation of Labour says it’s still not enough.
Numbers from the MFL show that the majority of minimum wage earners in Manitoba are adults (55%), as opposed to the stereotypical assumption that only teenagers pull in the bare minimum at a workplace.
The wage increase will see the new hourly rate rise to $10.45 an hour.
“When we looked more closely at the numbers, we found that Manitoba’s minimum wage earners are not who most would expect,” said Kevin Rebeck, president of the MFL. “Most work for big companies. Most are adults. Thousands are single parents.”
Rebeck says no one working full-time should be living in poverty, and that a 20-cent increase falls short to accommodate the working poor.
The MFL is calling for a multi-year plan to raise the minimum wage to a living wage — 60% of the average wage in Manitoba, which would work out to $12.44 an hour.
