Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday the living wage rose to €12.30 an hour because of the cost of living and the housing crisis. It is a measure designed to ensure people can afford the essentials in life. Those earning below the living wage are forced to do without certain essentials, which affects their nutrition in providing an appropriate diet for their families. That is one of the most important consequences. Companies such as Aldi, Lidl and Ikea, the majority of non-governmental organisations, NGOs, to which I speak and many small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, are paying the living wage but the State does not. In budget 2019 it could have brought childcare workers from a minimum entry wage to the living wage at a cost of approximately €15 million. It could have moved public sector and Civil Service workers to the living wage at a cost of €34 million. They are hard-working individuals employed by the State. We learned today, for example, that 1,400 members of the Defence Forces quit last year. In the private sector there are hospitality workers and shop assistants. We could make a real difference to their lives. However, the State, continues to pay workers poverty wages and maintains the status quowhen it comes to low pay. Rather than cutting taxes at a cost of €350 million to the Exchequer and squandering money, the State could have moved to increase wages to the living wage. Workers deserve to be paid fairly. It is not acceptable that tens of thousands of workers have to endure poverty and a low standard of living as a result of low pay. Will the Government reassess its approach to this issue? Will it start to live in the real world by taking steps to put the living wage on a legislative footing?