Stop the Stalling: Living Wage Now
Stop the Stalling: Living Wage Now - The Labour Party
Labour’s workers’ rights spokesperson Senator Nessa Cosgrove has slammed the Government’s failure to guarantee a 2026 roll-out of the living wage, following confirmation by Minister Jack Chambers that the timeline for increases “may be extended”. The revelation, made during comments on trade tensions, has sparked outrage as some 195,000 minimum wage workers across Ireland are left in the lurch.
Senator Cosgrove said:
“Moves to delay progress to a Living Wage comes in the week Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael broke their promise to workers on a modest two days extra on statutory sick pay leave and they are now openly musing on further delays to the already delayed pensions auto enrolment scheme.
“It is an absolute disgrace that the most vulnerable workers in our economy are now being treated as bargaining chips in the Government’s economic strategy. It’s clear now that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil never took the living wage seriously. They used it as a headline, a hollow commitment, and now that the international landscape has shifted, they’re preparing to break it entirely.
“Let’s be clear – this is a political decision. Minister Chambers’ comments make it plain that the roll-out of the living wage is being sacrificed to suit the interests of multinationals and large employers, under the guise of ‘competitiveness’. This is an ideological choice, not an economic necessity.
“It’s utterly cynical to suggest that the fair treatment of workers is somehow at odds with Ireland’s global competitiveness. A modern, sustainable economy is one that values work, protects the dignity of workers, and ensures people can live decently off their wages. Anything else is just a race to the bottom.
“Delaying this commitment undermines the important work of the Low Pay Commission – an independent body that has engaged in detailed consultation and analysis. Their recommendation for a phased move to a living wage was not made lightly. If the Government now ignores it, it sends a dangerous message that evidence-based policymaking and social dialogue don’t matter.
“Let’s not forget – Ireland has the weakest workers’ rights protections in Western Europe. We are still an outlier on trade union recognition and collective bargaining. This delay only deepens the divide. Workers are already operating in precarious conditions, and now the one meaningful change on the horizon is being pulled away.
“Delays to a Living Wage is economically illiterate at a time when local economies across the country will need additional demand to boost business activity.
“Ten years ago Labour set up the Low Pay Commission to assist low paid workers to move to a real Living Wage and in an evidence-based way and in a fashion that does not negatively impact on businesses and competitiveness. This government now has the Low Pay Commission, a statutory body independent of government in its sights and it is now actively undermining its work, it’s independence and it’s accepted, published road map to a Living Wage in Ireland.
“The Government’s approach is shortsighted, unfair, and ultimately harmful. It exposes the deep inequality at the heart of our economy, where the needs of low-paid workers are always the first to be sacrificed.”