Union leader says launch of calculation ‘just one step on long road to wage-led recovery’

July 3rd: Trade Union Unite has said that today’s launch of a Living Wage for Ireland – calculated by the Living Wage Technical Group, of which Unite is a member, as €11.45 per hour – is just one step on what Regional Secretary Jimmy Kelly termed “the long road to a wage-led recovery”.

“Low pay and in-work poverty are endemic in Ireland. Today’s launch of a Living Wage calculation for Ireland is just one step on a road which must end in a wage-led recovery. For that to happen, we must put an end to the culture of low pay which sees nearly one in every three households with one person working suffering deprivation.

“The Living Wage figure of €11.45 has been calculated by the Living Wage Technical Group, which includes Unite, as the minimum needed to ensure a decent standard of living.

“Establishing a Living Wage floor would not only benefit workers – it would also benefit businesses up and down the country who rely on the wages in people’s pockets to boost their sales.

“Unite will be campaigning to ensure that the Living Wage is implemented as widely as possible and becomes a condition of public procurement”, Jimmy Kelly concluded.