Greens want $3/hour increase in minimum wage

RADIO NEW ZEALAND: The Green Party is proposing raising the minimum wage from $12 to $15 an hour.

The party says the minimum wage is not enough to live on, giving families less time together and causing social problems among young people.

The party says its policy would improve the lives of New Zealanders by growing the country's reputation as a producer of high value clean green goods.

The Northern Employers & Manufacturers Association says the policy would mean jobs cuts as New Zealand heads into tough economic times.

It says employees should be paid according to their productivity.

But the Green Party says a focus on reducing the gap between "rich" and "poor" needs to be maintained, even in the midst of an economic crisis.

Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says the Green Party was influential in an increase in the minimum wage in April.

She says the party has had substantial influence in the last three governments and expects to again.