Minister Dara Calleary, together with the representatives of the bosses, are now more and more vocally pushing to reduce the minimum wage and tear up Registered Employment Agreements in particular sectors. This is a disgrace and must be fought.

Mark Fielding, Chief Executive of ISME, spelt it out for low paid workers when he admitted on Pat Kenny’s Frontline that the minimum wage as it stands is barely enough to live on but that is should, in his view, be cut in any case as he thinks the taxpayer can pick up the tab via family income supplement etc to maintain the income of his members’ employees. I call that the taxpayer being asked to subsidise slave wages!

A big play is made of comparing the minimum wage in Ireland to that of other EU15 countries but the employers never factor in the cost of living the poorer social wage in Ireland which pushes this country down the league table. Most of all the massive mortgages many low paid workers are locked into mean a pay cut could tip them into arrears and home repossession.

A lowering of the minimum wage will further depress the economy fueling unemployment which is still rising by the day. Women workers, young people and foreign nationals will bear the brunt of the employer assault as they populate the restaurant and hospitality sectors which are being particularly singled out.

Socialist Youth, the youth wing of my party will campaign actively on this issue but there is an absolute onus on the trade union movement to step up its organising drive in these sectors so workers have a fighting chance to defend themselves from these promised attacks

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