Yikes!
Tanaiste Joan Burton and Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the launch of the Low Paid Commission report on the national minimum wage at the Sean O’Casey Community Centre at the North Wall, Dublin today.
The commission has suggested a paltry “dramatic” rise of 50c in the minimum wage.
FIGHT!
*flings cone at space-age window*
(Mark Stedman/Rolling News)
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EK: ….yay, it’s like we’re on a big ship and this is the port hole haha! *thumbs up* Arrrrrrrrrr!
JB: Shurrup Enyaw, we’re on the good ship Loadsalolly…. *victory salute* Urrrggghh!
EK: It’s my ship, and that’s a port hole! *thumbs up, out window*
JB: Urrrrrgh, looook Enyaw, Oi can poin’ moy finger out the window too an’ oi can top all the lihhle poeples on the haed Enyaw… urrrrrrgh, ‘squish’ ‘squish’ ‘squish’ not lockin’ mae in hagain…. urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggh…
A nice person on George Hook this evening expressed employers’ concerns that this will push low paid workers into paying tax.
(No mention of the banking tithe that everyone pays of course, PRSI etc.)
George Hook calculated, and repeated, a weekly income on the minimum wage as €9 x €40 = €360 which he rounded up to €400 for the discussion.
They, of course, reminded us that lots of people have no job at all!
They also noted that only 38% of those currently on minimum wage would be considered young or in training.
They talked about decreased margins for small employers but the obvious point they didn’t make was that if all employers are compelled to raise the basic wage then the playing field remains level. Exporting companies pay well anyway so will be unaffected, except for the operatives in dairy and meat production that I know of.
Another *lovely* woman was on The Last Word blathering on about the same thing.
Patricia Callan, director of Small Firms Association.
SMEs employ roughly 70% of the workforce with 50% of the national turnover at a labour cost of €40 billion a year.
No mention of what the other 30% cost or how much of their income comes from the others, not from production or export.
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/smes-account-for-99-7-of-business-enterprises-in-republic-1.2035800
It’s an increase in the *minimum* wage of 50c, not giving everyone a 10% increase across the board. Sorry the slave labour will be less profitable, but if a business’ margins are that thin, maybe it’s the owner’s fault.
Exactly. I know every business owner is entitled to make a profit, but if you can’t afford to give an increase of 50c an hour for those on the margins you probably shouldn’t be in business.
It’s only an extra €20 per week for someone on 40 hours. But as your wan from the Small Firms Association (SFA, quite a fitting acronym!), most people on the minimum wage are only part time.
73,000 employees on minimum wage according to:
http://www.moneyguideireland.com/minimum-wage-levels-in-ireland.html
I think George Hooks figures were wrong and that their combined income is less than a billion per annum. The increase will cost less than €50 million.
I didn’t hear many of the other details announced today – what was the deal with PRSI?
I don’t know.
I do know that the only people exempt are those under 16, over 66 or earning less than €4000.
There was a similar limit on the USC until 2011 but that threshold was raised to €12000, so minimum wage employees do pay tax and contributions despite George and Patricia’s claim.
According to Dindo front page, if these 73,000 get 50c more per hour then the other 830,000 better paid workers will want it too.
…defenestration once again…
Excellent!
Why pay an extra 50c when you can get free jobsbridge workers.
Thanks Labour.
Sean O’Casey Community Centre is in East Wall.
Just sayin’ ye can’t mix up the walls!
square pegs in a round hole
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ARRRRRRGH
just use Chrome you bell end!
I’ve never once seen a pop up on here, using desktop, laptop or phone…
Poor coping detail on that building!
An extra 50 cent an hour and this shower is whining about it. The social compact has broken down and now the only things employers are interested in is squeezing the most out of employees while paying them the least amount possible.
Tánaiste.
The Senator was right.
The seagulls are EVERYWHERE.