Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 12 October 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Minimum Wage, Cost of Living and Low Pay Commission Report: Engagement with ICTU

Dr. Laura Bambrick:

The strongest justification we have been told is that it is there to encourage young adults to stay in education. This is contradictory, however. We have the highest cost of education for young adults. Therefore, how can those two opposing facts sit side by side? We would say that it really is open to challenge.

According to the Tánaiste's evidence to this committee last week, a paper is going to Cabinet around what the living wage will look like now we have had the public consultation. We hope this has dealt with it. It is, however, something we will be pursuing and campaigning about for the rest of this year and into next.