Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure Deputy Bacik the Government is unified in wanting to support our workers and economy and wanting to protect their jobs too. I agree low paid workers and workers in this country are certainly not responsible for the many turbulent challenges the global economy faces and the impact that may have on Ireland.

We are very lucky to live in a country where our union movement was very constructive in its engagement, even during the darkest days of the financial crisis. I acknowledge that on International Workers Day. It does not mean we always agree with them or they agree with us - I do not want to kill their street credit - but it is important we have that constructive engagement and I acknowledge that. On the living wage, this was about trying to calibrate it correctly. It has been - not by the Deputy - sometimes misrepresented or discussed in recent days as though the minimum wage will not continue to rise or that the journey towards the living wage will not continue; it will. We will continue to see the minimum wage increases. At present, we have wage growth in Ireland of approximately 3.5% to 4% and inflation at approximately 1.7%. We are back seeing real wage growths and people's incomes going back up. We are now also trying to help in other ways. Hot school meals and free school books are of course benefiting everybody but also our low paid workers. We will continue our positive agenda in this regard.

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