SIPTU has called on the Government to honour a commitment to present legalisation to tackle the practice of paying apprentices less than the national minimum wage, in order to combat youth poverty and ensure there is enough skilled workers to carry out major state infrastructure projects including home building.
SIPTU Construction Sector Organiser, Fran McDonnell, said: “Apprentices are not a burden on employers, they are workers who contribute every day and deserve to be paid at least the minimum wage. Keeping pay at sub-minimum levels makes apprenticeships financially unsustainable and is pushing people away from careers in jobs the country urgently needs.
“Under current law, apprentices can be paid significantly less than the minimum wage because they are classified as being in training, with rates linked to age and stage of apprenticeship rather than the work performed. This system is outdated and fails to reflect the cost of living crisis facing young workers and the fact that many apprentices are now in their 20s or older before they begin courses.”
He added: “SIPTU organisers and activists were among union representatives who briefed TDs and Senators on the situation in Leinster House last December. The unions were there to support the Labour Party’s National Minimum Wage (Inclusion of Young Persons, Apprentices and Interns) Bill 2025, which seeks to extend full minimum wage protections to all workers.
“The measure was opposed by the Government who claimed it would be formulating its own legalisation to deal with this issue in 2026. This is a commitment we will demand they keep.”
Construction worker and SIPTU National Executive Council member, Willie O’Shaughnessy, said: “With the minimum wage now at €14.15 an hour and some apprentices earning less than €8 per hour, unless pay is raised to the minimum wage, the damage to recruitment and retention will continue and worsen.
“It is utterly outdated and grossly unfair that young people and apprentices can legally be paid less for doing the same work as their colleagues. Discrimination has been written into law, and this Government must act to end it.”