HALIFAX: Labour and Advanced Education Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced that government has accepted the Minimum Wage Review Committee’s recommendation that minimum wage increase by 30 cents, plus the national consumer price index, which is 10 cents for 2020, resulting in an overall increase of 40 cents an hour.
The announcement was made on Jan. 26.
That means workers who earn minimum wage will receive $12.95 an hour starting April 1.
“This year, COVID-19 has caused unprecedented economic challenges across all sectors,” said Ms. Metlege Diab. “That’s why we need to ensure our economy can grow in a fair and balanced way for both employees and employers. I want to thank the Minimum Wage Review Committee for recommending a solution that supports both interests.”
The Minimum Wage Review Committee, which includes employee and employer representatives, filed its report with the minister of Labour and Advanced Education on Jan. 4.
The committee also recommended that a further review of the current rate and approach to setting minimum wage be conducted and that other options to setting it be explored. This recommendation will be considered in the coming weeks.
For a copy of the Nova Scotia Minimum Wage Review Committee report, visit: https://novascotia.ca/lae/pubs
Quick Facts:
— a $12.95 per hour minimum wage means Nova Scotia will have the second highest minimum wage in Atlantic Canada, just $0.05 behind PEI, whose rate will increase to $13.00 on April 1
— on April 1, 2020, Nova Scotia’s minimum wage increased by $1, making it the largest increase to minimum wage in a decade
Additional Resources:
For more information on Nova Scotia’s minimum wage, visit: novascotia.ca/lae/employmentrights/minimumwage.asp
Meanwhile, in a separate release, NDP Leader Gary Burrill made the following statement about the Liberal government’s plan to increase the minimum wage to $12.95 on April 1, 2021:
“The pandemic has revealed how important so many minimum wage workers are to our communities. Grocery store workers, cleaning staff, gas station workers, and other low-wage workers provide essential services. They need to make enough to live.
Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 9)“A small increase in the minimum wage, as proposed by this Liberal government, is insulting to those who have been making minimum wage while working on the frontlines of the pandemic. We need to increase the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour.”
Over the past two decades, minimum wage employees have become increasingly concentrated in large businesses. Nationally, the proportion of employees earning minimum wage in large companies has almost tripled since 1998.
