SIR: At the present time there is no official minimum wage. For the purposes of this letter I shall take this to be an amount of pay an employee is paid which is enough for a person to be earning a living, without the employee having to be subsidised by the tax payer with family income support or any other welfare state provision.

Note in passing that under European Union rules governments are not supposed to subsidise their own national companies to compete with those of other member countries and it becomes clear that the previous Tory Government was wasting taxpayers' money by hiding these subsidies under the disguise of welfare provisions. If an employer cannot make a profit by paying a market rate and selling at market prices it is time they went to the wall.

All the employed and unemployed people I have talked to express the desire to earn a living. Nobody wants to 'slave for peanuts' and all wanted worthwhile work.

The reduction of welfare state claims which would occur for all employees remaining in work at a minimum wage will transfer the responsibility of pay back to the employer where it belongs. I do not doubt that this would also for a time increase the pool of unemployment. Those thrown out of work will receive welfare provision by 'the front rather than the back door'.

In this modern world there is no place in this country for totally free markets. Food must be healthy and BSE free. Children's toys must be safe or not sold. Homes must be built as safe as houses. The caring society we all wish to have needs the rule of law. We look to our government and parliament to provide the rules under which we can all prosper. Which I believe includes the introduction of a minimum wage.

J A Debney

Dobson Road, Heaton

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