Labour group fights 2-tier minimum wage

The P.E.I. Federation of Labour is vowing to fight any government move toward a two-tier minimum wage system.

Carl Pursey, president of the federation, said such a system would end up hurting students who work in the province.

"It will just mean that people — students, mostly — will be getting less money for university tuition. And if they're still doing the same type of work as anyone else, we figure they're entitled to the same pay as anybody else," he said.

Carolyn Bertram, minister of communities, cultural affairs and labour, announced last month sweeping changes to the Employment Standards Act that would clear the way for a two-tiered minimum wage.

She has said she wants input from the public about whether the minimum wage system should change.

Pursey said the federation is worried that employers will lay off workers after the training wage period has ended, to hire people with less experience to keep wages low.

"If they're doing equal work of equal value, we figure they should be getting paid the same money," he said.