Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 4, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following:“(a) has due regard to Ireland’s human rights obligations to guarantee the right to just and favourable remuneration,”.

Under this section, the commission is instructed by the legislation to make a recommendation to the Minister regarding the national minimum wage which has regard to a number of factors. It would be appropriate to include Ireland's international commitments to a fair wage in the commission's considerations. For example, as was highlighted by ICTU during the pre-legislative scrutiny hearings, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees the right to just and favourable remuneration, ensuring an existence worthy of human dignity, the European Social Charter refers to a right to fair remuneration sufficient for a standard of living for workers and their families, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights declares a right to fair wages and decent living for workers and their families. These rights should underpin the work of the commission.