THE LOW Wage commission has finally made it's proposals for as minimum wage - a pitiful £3.60 an hour with an even more disgraceful £3.20 an hour for under 21 yearolds.
At the announcement of the figures some "left" trade union leaders such as John Edmonds complained that the figure was too low and that it discriminates against young workers. Such public statements however, are simply a sop to union members across the country who will be quite rightly outraged at these proposals.
From way before the general election all trade union leaders have fought tooth and nail against their membership committing the union movement to a specific figure. At the TUC many union leaders completely ignored their own €3.60 an hour wouldn't keep big talker John E dmonds in bies mandates in order that TUC representatives did not have "their hands tied" in negotiations. Having entered negotiations, with the CBI attempting to set the figure as low as possible, the trade union leadership has been intent on reaching a compromise with their "partners in industry", rather than fighting for a minimum wage that will afford their members a decent standard of living.
It is extremely unlikely that the Labour leadership will introduce minimum wage legislation that goes against the proposals of the commission that they set up, unless they are faced with a mass campaign of opposition. If the TUC are serious about their claims to want a higher, single figure regardless of age then they must be made to put their money where their mouth is and start to organise such a Rank and file trade unionists must not let the leadership get away with rhetoric and sound-bites. We must start to organise a campaign now that involves the whole trade union movement and that demands no discrimination against younger workers and a minimum wage set at least at half male median earnings.