Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:notes that:

— according to the Central Statistics Office, 137,200 workers reported earning the national minimum wage or less in the fourth quarter of 2018;

— female workers are currently more likely than male workers to earn the national minimum wage or less;

— half of all those earning the national minimum wage or less in the fourth quarter of 2018 were aged 24 years or under;

— according to Social Justice Ireland, 110,000 workers are living at risk of poverty across the State;

— the current living wage stands at €12.30 per hour, as calculated by the Living Wage Technical Group;

— according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the ‘no-deal Brexit caveat’ contained in the Low Pay Commission’s report makes absolutely no reference whatsoever to a possible deferral of the recommended increase in the national minimum wage in the event of a no-deal Brexit;

— there are legal protections currently in place for those companies who can show they cannot afford to pay the national minimum wage; and

— there is no legal obligation on businesses who can afford to pay their workers a living wage to do so;

condemns the Government’s recent decision not to increase the national minimum wage;

agrees that:

— the decision by the Government not to increase the national minimum wage or introduce a living wage will place further financial pressure on thousands of workers and families who need a break;

— work must pay now and not just at some undetermined time in the future;

— proper wages and the eradication of precarious working practices should be the essential foundations of economic growth and productivity; and

— the implementation of a living wage would play a critical role in ending in-work poverty and reducing the financial pressure on many households; and

calls on the Government to:

— recognise the huge contribution low paid workers make to the Irish economy;

— immediately reverse its decision not to increase the national minimum wage; and

— introduce a living wage of €12.30 per hour in 2020, with appropriate legal protections for those small- or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who can show they cannot afford to pay the living wage.

I am sharing time with Deputies Brady, Cullinane and Mitchell.

I am happy to be putting forward this motion for debate in the Dáil which I hope it will approve.This is a simple motion which recognises the significant contribution workers on the minimum wage make to our society and economy. This group of workers are often overlooked when it comes to State support. They are certainly underpaid for the hard work they do every day. This group includes the preschool teachers who are so vital to our children's education; the waiters who serve one food in one’s favourite restaurant; the baristas who get up early in the morning to prepare coffee for other commuters; and the cashiers who sell one bread and milk at five-to-closing time on a Sunday night for one’s lunch the next day. All these people work hard and deserve to get paid fairly for it.

Incredibly, last week, the Fine Gael Government, and its friends, Fianna Fáil, presented a budget that did absolutely nothing for these workers. To not even include an increase in the minimum wage was a slap in the face to the 137,000 workers earning the minimum wage who work hard day in, day out. Our motion calls on the Government to immediately reverse this decision and to introduce a living wage of €12.30 per hour next year.

The minimum wage is simply too low and workers are struggling to get by on it. Workers have waited long enough for proper pay and conditions. We want to see a living wage - a rate of pay which would allow workers to pay for the basic necessities of life, to live with dignity and to participate fully as active citizens in our society. That is not too much to ask.

I suspect I will hear the Minister attempt to blame Brexit or the Low Pay Commission for the Government's decision not to increase the minimum wage. We will not be buying that nonsense. Patricia King, general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, herself a member of the Low Pay Commission, said, "The no-deal Brexit caveat contained in the Low Pay Commission report makes absolutely no reference whatsoever to a possible deferral of the recommended increase in the event of a no-deal Brexit." In short, there has not been a no-deal Brexit and the attempt to blame Brexit or the Low Pay Commission for the Government's heartless decision simply will not wash with people. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are out of touch when even the Tories in London who are supporting a living wage.

Sinn Féin has made its position crystal clear on the living wage. We want it. When we are in government, we will introduce it. I have no doubt some Members tonight will say a living wage cannot be introduced because it will result in business closures and job losses. Again, this is simply not true.

In our plan for introducing a living wage, Sinn Féin has set out how it would include legal protections for businesses which genuinely could not afford to pay the living wage. If a business can open its books for inspection at the Labour Court and prove it cannot afford to introduce a living wage without it resulting in job losses or cuts in hours, then it could be granted an exemption. It would then revert back to its normal pay with the minimum wage remaining the absolute floor. This would ensure those businesses which may have small profit margins are able to stay in business and continue to employ the workers they have.

It would also ensure that those profitable businesses which can pay their workers a living wage do so. Instead of assuming all businesses cannot pay the living wage, we will assume all businesses can pay it and grant exemptions to those which can prove otherwise.

The Minister and her party have got this wrong. They should not have shelved an increase in the minimum wage and tried to blame it on Brexit. The Government has insulted thousands of workers in the process and its decision will make their lives more difficult. There has been huge stress since the non-announcement by the Minister for Finance and the Taoiseach, on budget day and the following day, respectively. I hope the Government recognises this mistake and reverses its bad decision.

Sinn Féin is proud to stand for ordinary hard-working people. Sinn Féin is the party of the living wage and in government, we will deliver a living wage for workers.

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