Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 4, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following:“(a) median earnings during the relevant period,”.

Amendment No. 3 relates to median earnings. Any measure below the median does not reflect the prevalence of low pay in the economy.

Amendment No. 4 is an attempt truly to address the issue of low pay, but to do so we need to deal with the issue on a sectoral basis. While low pay pervades all sectors of the economy, it is especially widespread in the hospitality, retail and services sector. It is also present in other sectors. The point is that sectors will vary and it is important to take a sectoral approach to deal specifically with low pay each of the various sectors.

Amendment No. 5 proposes to insert text to the effect that the aim of the commission should be to move incrementally towards a living wage.

Amendment No. 6 serves to ensure the minimum wage is established on the basis of current costs and the minimum expenditure levels incurred by the employee. It need not be as high as it is currently if costs were contained or even reduced. For example, if policies were implemented to control housing rents, the living wage would then fall. Other examples include various interventions in public transport. The Low Pay Commission should highlight the high cost of poor public services that low-paid workers experience, and it should do this as a first step in conducting a more detailed analysis of such costs and how they impact on workers' living standards.

Amendment No. 8 servers to ensure that when we discuss job creation, decent work is at the heart of the debate. This must be about more than simply fair pay and a living wage, which are only one part of the overall picture. We need to ensure employers are compelled to treat workers with respect and dignity. They should not be able to harass, intimidate or victimise vulnerable workers, as we have seen in some current industrial disputes. We have seen some workers having their hours cut while others have been let go in one particular dispute. We should remember these workers are already vulnerable and in or at risk of poverty and deprivation. That employers operate on the basis of controlling workers through a culture of fear or a system of retribution is unacceptable and should not be legally permissible. We need to ensure workers have security of employment and certainty around their hours.

Amendment No. 14 attempts to address the serious problem in terms a widening gender pay gap. We know that women make up the bulk of workers in the low-paid sectors. They make up approximately 60% of precarious workers, for example. Decent wages would stimulate economic growth as workers would have more spending power. They would also increase what the State receives in terms of tax receipts. We need to ensure income inequality, particularly gender income inequality, is reduced.