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

I will move on to amendment No. 5. This amendment proposes to insert provisions dealing with a wage share of national income, the role of wages as a source of demand and median earnings. When making a recommendation to the Minister, the commission must have regard to a number of factors which we believe are too heavily weighted towards a small number of macro-economic factors that are limited in measurement as well as in outcomes. Specifically, the commission is instructed to consider fluctuations in employment and productivity in the year prior to its recommendation, the relevant period. It is our opinion that the macro-economic factors of the commission's consideration in this context should be extended to include the wage share of national income, the role of wages as a source of demand and median earnings. The inclusion of these factors will enhance the work of the commission.