Mr. Jimmy Kelly:

The Senator asked what employers have to say. We are well aware of statements from employers organisations fitting what the Senator described. If we were to wait for the day when employers announced that they would introduce a living wage, it would never happen. Employers are driven by other motives, and trade unions are seeking to have decency implemented in workplaces. If we are to move towards having a living wage, we must start with improvements in the minimum wage.

We believe there should be an immediate increase of €1 per hour in the minimum wage. As stated by Mr. Light, zero hours contracts do not provide people with a decent week's wages. A person on a zero hours contract in respect of which he or she is being paid the minimum wage might only get a decent wage for a few weeks at a time. My sister works in Dunnes Stores. Often a person is employed on a full-time basis, for which he or she gets full pay for a couple of weeks, only to be told at short notice that he or she is only required one particular day the following week, despite that he or she has to meet the same financial commitments. This is intolerable for workers and is leading to what has been described as in-work poverty. I am old enough to remember that when a person got a job, it meant he or she got some financial independence. That is what work is all about. It is not about becoming a millionaire. Now people are being driven to having to take on two jobs to have a decent standard of living. The situation will become even more intolerable unless there is a move to increase the minimum wage to that of a living wage. To move us in this direction, Government procurement contracts need to start with that type of principle.