SIPTU representatives have said that workers paid the minimum wage are seeing their wages fall further behind the level which is adequate to even maintain a basic standard of living following the announcement of a new Living Wage level of €13.85 per hour. SIPTU Services Division Organiser, Teresa Hannick, said: “The release of the 2023 Living Wage will make for grim reading for hundreds of thousands of workers caught in the low-pay trap. “The Living Wage Technical Group estimates the Living Wage to be €13.85 per hour. This represents a 95 cent increase. Unfortunately, the recently announced minimum wage increase was only 80 cent. Not only is the minimum wage failing to keep up with inflation, it is falling further behind the Living Wage. “The work of the Living Wage Technical Group continues to be an essential guide to the minimum essential living standard. A Maynooth University study, commissioned by the Low Pay Commission, stated that the method employed by the Living Wage Technical Group comes closest to capturing the spirit of the Living Wage.” She added: “The Government should introduce a supplemental increase in the minimum wage next year. The two trade union representatives on the Low Pay Commission recommended in their minority report that the minimum wage should be increased by €1.50 per hour. “This would ensure that the lowest paid workers in the economy are protected from inflation. It would also mean that the Government’s own goal of reaching the Living Wage by 2025 can be achieved.”
SIPTU says low paid workers falling behind as new Living Wage is launched
