What stood out for me on the agenda was the draft opinion on minimum wages across the EU. It had been raised as a issue by a Labour member and it was a fine enough paper in its own terms. One of the problems I had with the paper was that it didn't really look at low wages in the context of wider inequality and a widening gap between the rich and the poor. This is what I said,
"I am fully behind the sentiments of the draft opinion but I wonder whether the quickest way to help people on the lowest incomes is by introducing a maximum wage rather than just a minimum wage. Imagine how fast minimum wages would rise if the Chief Executive of a Company or Council could only be paid no more than 10 times the salary of the lowest paid worker. Addressing low pay is tackling one symptom of a culture based on inequality. If we are to have a holistic approach to poverty and inequality we need to address greed with as much vigour as we tackle need."
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