Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)

That would be fine if there were also fair play for workers and families, many of whom are also working in essential services. We need fair pay for them. The decision to abolish the pay cap is going to increase wage inequality. There will be a much bigger gap between the CEOs and the people who are doing the work on the ground. In the recent budget, supports to help people with the cost-of-living crisis were ripped away.

Last year, the CSO identified that in-work poverty stands at 5.9%, meaning approximately 145,000 people in employment are living below the poverty line. Earlier this year, research from the ESRI showed that when housing costs are taken into account, the figure is even higher. In a society of nearly full employment, nearly 15% of the State’s population is living in poverty, including one in five children. They are the workers who need a pay rise. The Government must step up and introduce a living wage for all workers, rather than just bumping up the salaries of the people at the top.

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