Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Following a committee session with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, last week, I would like to ask the Taoiseach the timescale for considering the report of the commission on low pay on the question of a lousy 10 cent increase in the minimum wage. The Minister told the committee that the proposal for such an increase was not hers but rather came from the commission and has to come back to the House. She said she would prefer to give €10 an hour extra, for which I applaud her. We will not get that, but since all Deputies and, probably, Senators are due a pay rise next year, we are saying to low-paid workers, who in the main are women and young workers, that there will be an insulting increase of 10 cent per hour in the minimum wage while the cost of rents, mortgage, insurance, food and travel soar. We need to have that discussion on the floor of the Dáil as soon as possible.

There are many stressed and worried people who can barely afford to live on the minimum wage they receive and we are proposing to give them a lousy 10 cent increase. According to the programme for Government, it is hoped to raise the minimum wage to €10.80 per hour by 2020. If the Government proceeds at this pace, it will be 2028 before we get near that. When will we have that discussion?

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