Going beyond minimum entitlements and placing decent, quality work at the centre of our social and economic development policies is essential, CTU secretary Carol Beaumont said at the launch of 'Decent Work: Charting our Progress' at Parliament today.

"Skills training and access to decent, quality work for all is a more pressing issue than punitive schemes such as work for the dole," CTU Vice President Maori Sharon Clair said today.

"Only higher wages will ensure that all families can provide lunches and sports gear for their kids as families were all able to in the '60s and 70s," CTU president Ross Wilson said today, in response to John Key’s speech in Christchurch.

"Employers who are unrealistic about the need to address New Zealand’s low wage crisis will continue to see workers exercising their right to take industrial action in support of a wage claim," CTU secretary Carol Beaumont said today.