LBJ on Youth Rates Bill

LBJ, a new commentator at Sir Humphrey’s, has done a first class job in analysing and explaining what the meaning and implications are of the Ministry of Justice memo which said minimum wage regulations made under the principal Act that are inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act may be deemed ultra vires

This is a seriously useful analysis, and makes two things clear:

1) The hysterical press releases from EPMU and UNITE claiming they will be seeking years of back pay from employers, shows they don’t even know the law in this area – and I should not believe their claims in future.

2) Sue Bradford has managed to draft a bill so incompetently that it will not actually achieve what she wants it to.

I won’t even try to summarise the opinion – go read it yourself, except to say the Human Rights Act is the key Act here, not the Bill of Rights Act.