Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of apprenticeship pay. On 3 May 2023 – almost a year to the day – Labour Party Senators introduced a Bill seeking to ensure that all apprentices would receive the national minimum wage for the duration of their training. The following week, the then Minister and current Taoiseach, Deputy Simon Harris, stated at a Government press conference that he would be looking into how to stimulate apprentice numbers and that it was important that pay rates “are not seen as a barrier to participation by potential apprentices”. On 13 June, he told the Cabinet that he would table amendments to the Construction Safety Licensing Bill 2023. Journalists were briefed that there would be pay increases. The Minister stated that he would be commissioning research. He did so, as we know from the unions that they were contacted. Twelve months on from those announcements, and all there has been is silence. We have seen no other sign of the research, and the Bill appears to have been parked since 27 June last. All the while, construction apprentices are expected to earn €7.16 per hour in year 1 and €10.75 in year 2.

I wish to bring to the House the account of an electrical apprentice. This is someone who is not out of school but changed careers and wanted to become an electrician. He told me he was getting €8.45 per hour, which is well below the minimum age. Last year, Connect Trade Union agreed a pay increase, but most employers would not give it, including his own, because the increase was not law yet. The increase to €8.92 sounds small, but it is a great deal to apprentices. Since starting, he has seen 16 lads starting apprenticeships with the company he works for only to quit because they cannot survive on the wage. He went on to speak about how apprentices at first year level are often used as cheap labour and exploited across all trades. The work is extremely physical and, at times, mentally tough. He believes a wage increase for apprentices would boost morale and entice more people into the trades.

Last year, we spoke at length about the significant issue with recruitment and retention in the construction trades. There is a large backlog, with 3,500 apprentices waiting to finish their on-the-job training. There are serious questions to be asked about the Government’s ambition of achieving 10,000 apprenticeship registrations this year. From what we have seen of the first three months, that is not likely to play out. There are serious questions for the then Minister and now Taoiseach about what he is going to do to ensure that apprentices are at least getting the minimum wage. There is a great deal of talk about there being plenty of money coming from the Government to build houses, but if we are to ensure a pipeline of labour, it is critical that people be attracted into and stay in their apprenticeships.