Local tourism sector employers are finally saying what workers have known for a long time - neither the minimum wage of $21.20 nor the living wage of $23.65 are enough for Queenstown workers to meet their basic costs, and local employers need to pay more in order to attract and keep workers.
“Good employers aren't considering the minimum wage; they aren't considering a living wage; they're considering a ‘living wage for Queenstown”
Ziptrek boss Trent Yeo and iFly boss Matt Wong, in a recent Crux article, say that “Good employers aren't considering the minimum wage; they aren't considering a living wage; they're considering a ‘living wage for Queenstown”. This is a pleasantly progressive change from the totally out-of-touch and dishonest remarks from the ex-mayor Boult that “there is no-one in Queenstown getting underpaid... Every worker knows that they’re a sought-after commodity, and they are able to get good wages, which enable them to live a comfortable lifestyle.”
However, Yeo and Wong both claim that employers in the district have now “picked up their game” and that “the days of paying minimum wage in the industry are, generally, long gone, in this neck of the woods anyway.”
While data from the Queenstown Workers Collective’s mySlice is still limited, already we can see that there are still large, well-known local employers paying at or near minimum wage, and many still pay below the official living wage, although it must be said that these lower wage levels have become less common in some sectors. Hard data on pay & conditions at Tourism operators like iFly and Ziptrek is still being sought.
“Expect a minimum of $25/h as the new industry standard in town”
In the Hospitality & Tourism sector generally, mySlice data is showing that more employers are now offering base rates of $25/hour, which is more in line with an idea of a ‘Queenstown living wage’, although there are still some local Hospitality bosses stubbornly holding on to lower-than-living-wage pay rates. Indeed, based on the data we have gathered already, the Queenstown Workers Collective advises all local workers to expect a minimum of $25/h as the new industry standard in town, and encourages all employers in the Retail, Hospitality and Transportation sectors in particular to up their game and offer decent rates in line with this.
The Queenstown Workers Collective is investigating the ‘Better Work Action Plan’ mentioned in the Crux article, and is pleased to see the involvement of Unite union boss John Crocker, providing a workers voice. More on this soon…