Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

Even when the minimum wage was one euro above the current level, construction workers were still being displaced by vulnerable and exploited agency and migrant workers. The issue of employers exploiting workers is not a function of the minimum wage per se but, as I said last night, I recognise the potential for unscrupulous employers to advantage of this. The point is that Germany, our paymaster, does not have a minimum wage and countries with which we are more on par, such as Spain and Portugal, have a much lower minimum wage. It is a question of the overall standard and cost of living. If the price of labour is lower than the minimum wage, one must move closer to the point of equilibrium; otherwise employers will not be able to employ. That is the fundamental issue.

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