A recent survey has shown a “dramatic deterioration” in pay for many sectors of the New Zealand workforce, the jobs that saw a drop in wages were those already low paid. The New Zealand Press Association reported that “The unskilled groups at the bottom of the heap went backwards in nominal terms before even taking the annual inflation rate of 4 per cent into account.” Bellow are the statistics, with adjustments for inflation:

Kitchen staff: $28,831 down from $29,625
Inflation adjusted former pay: $30,810
Drop of: $1,979 (6.4%)

Waiting staff: $30,296 from $30,826,
Inflation adjusted former pay: $32,059
Drop of: $1,763 (5.5%)

Caregivers: $30,894 from $31,967,
Inflation adjusted former pay: $33,245
Drop of: $2,351 (7.1%)

Shop assistants: $31,668 from $32,565
Inflation adjusted former pay: $33,867
Drop of: $2,199 (6.5%)

Cleaners: $31,704 from $31,964.
Inflation adjusted former pay: $33,242
Drop of: $1,538 (4.6%)

The drop in real wages for these workers is in reality even bigger, as the official inflation rate includes a number of things low income workers do not buy regularly, while the biggest price increases this year have been in essentials like food and petrol. The trade union movement has not yet commented on the survey, though the issue of low wages combined with high living costs is certainly not a new one. Last month minimum wage workers at Auckland Airport food court went on strike against what Mike Treen of Unite Union said was the worst employment contract the union had come across. And this morning the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union put out a news release stating that the rising cost of living shows wages need to rise. With the economic troubles New Zealand is experiencing workers need to fight to retain -and improve- their standard of living.