Minimum wage lower than UK’s

Wednesday 22nd March 2006, 12:00AM GMT.

JERSEY’S minimum wage will fall below that of the UK later this year.

Such a situation has been described as ‘very, very strange’ by Deputy Roy Le Hérissier because most Islanders can expect to earn significantly more than their English counterparts to compensate for the Island’s high cost of living.

The Deputy questioned whether the statutory wage was enough to live on or whether it was more about ensuring a supply of cheap labour.

It was announced this week that the UK minimum wage would rise to £5.35 an hour for adults in October, compared with the Jersey figure of £5.24 which will come into force next month for 12 months.

The rate coming into force was approved by the then Social Security Committee last October and then made official by an order of the Social Security Minister, Senator Paul Routier.

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