Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 10 July 2024
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
Sub-Minimum Rates of the National Mininimum Wage: Discussion
9:30 am
Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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I have a question to ISME. It relates to the comment about being in loco parentis. It is, in my opinion, a patronising approach that these people are not doing real work when they are employed to do real work. They can be asked to do real work and many of them are asked to do real work. I am interested in Mr. McDonnell's response. According to ISME's opening statement:
... to give a 16-year-old an adult wage without clear guidance and support, which is not an employer's job creates poor money habits. They usually lack bills and expenses, and may favour gratification before learning how to budget, save and create sustainable spending habits.
What exactly is ISME getting at there? What is the argument? Does ISME want these young workers to be paid less than the minimum wage because it feels that if they are paid more than that, they will spend it all on sweets? Is that its concern?