A pay rise of 25% could be on the way for around 124,000 workers on the minimum wage. Trade unions have argued strongly at government level that the current minimum wage needs to change to a ‘living wage’, with a hefty hike in the rate of pay. There are suggestions that the Low Pay Commission could recommend a pay increase of 25% for minimum wage workers when it reports to government in July 2016. If agreed, this would bring the national minimum wage of €9.15 to €11.50 per hour, by the end of 2017. Wage hikes recommended by the Low Pay Commission, if agreed, are likely to take effect from this year’s budget. But the latest proposal has sparked outrage from employers who believe there is no justification with zero rate inflation. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has argued strongly for the 25% increase to happen by the end of 2017. The union is not alone in calling for a minimum wage increase; it has called in support from over 130 TDs, Senators and MEPs, and 171 councillors. A proposal to ensure that workers would earn at least €11.75 per hour is already in existence, but it would not be introduced until Budget 2018.
English: http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/25-pay-rise-could-way …
For more information, please contact the editor Jan Cremers, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) cbn-aias@uva.nl or the communications officer at the ETUI, Willy De Backer wdebacker@etui.org. For previous issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit http://www.etui.org/E-Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter. Since June 2013 readers can consult our archive and search through all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net.
© ETUI aisbl, Brussels 2016. All rights reserved. We encourage the distribution of this newsletter and of the information it contains, for non-commercial purposes and provided the source is credited. The ETUI is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. The ETUI is financially supported by the European Union. The European Union is not responsible for any use made of the information contained in this publication.
This email is sent from www.etui.org.