[Ireland] Proposal to end reduced minimum wage rate for young adults

Under a new proposal from People Before Profit/Solidarity young adults in Ireland will get the full minimum wage instead of the current reduced rate of as little as 70 per cent, Irish Mirror reports.

The left-wing group in the Dáil believes that the minimum wage itself is not enough, at €10.50 an hour and it said that it is “wholly discriminatory” for young adults working full-time in the workforce to be paid even less.

The Bill - the National Minimum Wage (Equal Pay for Young Workers) Bill 2021 - removes discrimination against 16-20 year olds who do not earn the same rate of the minimum wage as older workers.

The Bill would reportedly allow for anyone earning the minimum wage to receive 100 per cent of it regardless of their age.

As of January 1, 2022, the national minimum wage in the country is €10.50 for people aged 20 and over, under 18 it’s €7.35 (70 per cent), aged 18 it’s € 8.40 (80 per cent), aged 19 it’s €9.45 (90 per cent).

 Ireland also has Europe’s highest rate of workers aged 18-29 earning the minimum wage, at 41 per cent.

Paul Murphy TD moved the Bill in the Dáil on February 15. Before doing so he took questions from reporters on the Dáil Plinth.

He said, “Last week the Dail unanimously condemned the lower rate of the minimum wage for those under 20 as 'flagrant discrimination against young people'.

“This week People Before Profit are introducing our Equal Pay for Young Workers Bill to end that discrimination once and for all.

“The Minimum Wage in this country is already too low, allowing wages as low as €7.35 is a disgrace.

“Our bill would directly raise the wages of over 10,000 young workers earning less than the minimum wage, but it would also help to raise the floor for all workers, challenging the race to the bottom.”

The Government will oppose the Bill.

Source: Irish Mirror

(Quotes via original reporting)

Under a new proposal from People Before Profit/Solidarity young adults in Ireland will get the full minimum wage instead of the current reduced rate of as little as 70 per cent, Irish Mirror reports.

The left-wing group in the Dáil believes that the minimum wage itself is not enough, at €10.50 an hour and it said that it is “wholly discriminatory” for young adults working full-time in the workforce to be paid even less.

The Bill - the National Minimum Wage (Equal Pay for Young Workers) Bill 2021 - removes discrimination against 16-20 year olds who do not earn the same rate of the minimum wage as older workers.

The Bill would reportedly allow for anyone earning the minimum wage to receive 100 per cent of it regardless of their age.

As of January 1, 2022, the national minimum wage in the country is €10.50 for people aged 20 and over, under 18 it’s €7.35 (70 per cent), aged 18 it’s € 8.40 (80 per cent), aged 19 it’s €9.45 (90 per cent).

 Ireland also has Europe’s highest rate of workers aged 18-29 earning the minimum wage, at 41 per cent.

Paul Murphy TD moved the Bill in the Dáil on February 15. Before doing so he took questions from reporters on the Dáil Plinth.

He said, “Last week the Dail unanimously condemned the lower rate of the minimum wage for those under 20 as 'flagrant discrimination against young people'.

“This week People Before Profit are introducing our Equal Pay for Young Workers Bill to end that discrimination once and for all.

“The Minimum Wage in this country is already too low, allowing wages as low as €7.35 is a disgrace.

“Our bill would directly raise the wages of over 10,000 young workers earning less than the minimum wage, but it would also help to raise the floor for all workers, challenging the race to the bottom.”

The Government will oppose the Bill.

Source: Irish Mirror

(Quotes via original reporting)