SIPTU Deputy General Secretary for the Private Sector, Greg Ennis, whose Union represents almost 90,000 workers in the private sector, has said that a proposed increase of just 67c to the minimum wage would be “another slap in the face from Government to low paid workers”.
He said: “These low paid workers in essential roles within the Irish economy were promised by this Government that a Living Wage would be achieved in 2026. The Government misled tens of thousands of workers by pushing such achievements out to at least 2029 within weeks of being elected into office.
“This same pre-election ruse was used in promising to abolish sub-minimum wage rates and to increase occupational sick pay to seven days on 1st January 2025. True to form, these promises have now vanished, while the Government may well push ahead with a €1 billion tax cut by way of a VAT reduction to employers in the hospitality sector, ironically, a sector notorious for low pay and poor terms and conditions of employment.”
He added: “What workers need is a Living Wage and the right to collectively bargain with their employer, so they can live in an economy marked by an ongoing cost of living crisis, extortionate rents and unaffordable housing. The Government’s Action Plan to promote collective bargaining, which it is legally obliged to deliver, is critical to improving the lives of working people. Alongside this, the long overdue implementation of a real Living Wage must happen, €14.17 will simply not do.”