Marie Sherlock (Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I understand from that announcement that it is a once-off payment to the organisations and does not deal with the ongoing pay issue. What strikes me is the number of people who are stuck on the minimum wage. There is a perception that the minimum wage is a labour market entry wage or that people move off it fairly quickly but we know that 56% of those on the minimum wage are on it for 12 months or more while 23% of those on the minimum wage are on it for four years or more. How do we fix that? The minimum wage is supposed to be this wage floor upon which people can progress and yet we are seeing very substantial numbers stuck on that wage for a particularly long period of time.