Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil will support the passage of the Bill to Committee Stage. Its aim is to amend the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 and end sub-minimum rates of pay for those who have attained the age of 16 or those entering their first two years of employment. Fianna Fáil has always protected citizens in the State who are on low pay.We introduced a National Minimum Wage Act in 2000 that gave employees a legal entitlement to a minimum wage. During our time in office we progressively increased the national minimum wage rate six times. The national minimum wage increase under Fianna Fáil was 37% from 2000 to 2011, far outstripping inflation.

Fianna Fáil supports abolishing zero hours and has supported this Bill since it was introduced by Senator Gavan. It supports enhancing job security for the lower paid. The party is working to ensure that the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, currently going through the Dáil, will give workers added job security and bring weekly predictability to their working hours.

As a party, we believe that all workers should be paid a fair and decent wage and are committed to improving the working conditions for all. The idea that we can pay the youth of Ireland and those who are starting out on their journey through employment a lower wage and compare them with someone who is experienced and on the minimum wage is not believable. If someone has experience and has worked in a position for a while, they will not be on the minimum wage. If that was the case, they would not stay with an employer long, or that is my experience of employing many people over the years, which thankfully I continue to do. The least to which people are entitled when they work is the minimum wage when they are putting in the effort and are of use to the business. It is not even what is referred to as a living wage. It is the least we can do, even in the current economic climate.