Minimum wage increase a major victory

(Unceded Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam territories — Vancouver, BC) BC’s minimum wage will be raised to $15.20 per hour on June 1, making it the highest wage of any province. The increase will boost the income of nearly 250,000 workers according to the Government of BC and will coincide with the elimination of the discriminatory server wage. Both changes will help women and racialized workers who disproportionately work in low-wage sectors like the service industry. “The pandemic made clear how undervalued certain workers have been,” said BC Federation of Labour (BCFED) President Laird Cronk. “Minimum wage workers, many working on the frontlines through COVID, make the profits for businesses and they deserve a dignified wage.”

The raise to $15.20 is a testament to the successful Fight for 15 campaign lead by working people and supported by the labour movement during many years of poverty-level minimum wage rates under the BC Liberals. The latest increase will help to address income inequality and counter growing affordability challenges as housing, food, transit and other costs rise.

The BCFED continues to advocate for the elimination of the unfair hand harvesting piece rate and demand fair pay for farmworkers exempted from the minimum wage. This was a key recommendation of the Fair Wages Commission. While the BC government has committed to tie future minimum wage increases to inflation, the BCFED is calling for the Commission to continue its work to recommend a path to minimum wages that are living wages. “On June 1, BC workers can celebrate a major milestone in the fight for fair wages,” Cronk added. “Everyone should earn a wage that means they can afford to live where they work and pay for the necessities.”