O’Connor welcomes recommendation from the Living Wage Technical Group of increase to €11.90 per hour.

Labour Party Chairperson and Dáil Candidate for Wicklow, Jack O’Connor has welcomed the recommendation from the Living Wage Technical Group to increase the National Minimum Wage to €11.90 per hour.

Commenting on this recommendation Jack O’Connor said:

“This is very welcome news for all those people on low pay to ensure they have an acceptable level of income to provide for themselves and their families. This is the assessment of the Living Wage Technical Group of the absolute minimum that a person needs to live in Ireland.

“The Living Wage Technical Group is supported by organisations such as Social Justice Ireland, the Nevin Economic Research Institute and ICTU, amongst others. According to the Revenue Commissioners, 37% of all workers – which equates to one million people – do not earn enough to pay any tax at all. A single person’s income becomes taxable after €16,501 per annum. Even more worrying, more than three-quarters of a million people do not earn enough to pay the USC. This means these people earn less than €13,000 per annum.

“Workers currently being paid the National Minimum Wage of €9.55 per hour cannot afford to make ends meet. All across Ireland, people are struggling to buy food, pay for health and education for their children while coping with spiralling rent increases. In County Wicklow, I have spoken to many young people with small children who are at their wit’s end trying to make ends meet. I believe that increasing the minimum wage to €11.90 will be of some benefit to these families and I am calling on the Government to introduce legislation to increase the National Minimum Wage to the level of the ‘Living Wage’.

“The Labour Party in Wicklow is campaigning for decent, secure, long-term employment for everyone, in which the workers’ rights and dignity – including the right to representation – is respected. We are currently conducting a survey to establish the situation in Wicklow and I would urge people to complete the online survey at www.jackoconnor.ie/wicklowdecentjobssurvey”.