Living wage Ireland

Following research conducted by the Low Pay Commission last year, a number of proposals have been put forward based on recommendations made in the commission's ...

The new scheme will see the minimum wage remain in place until the living wage can be fully adopted in 2026. These include setting the living wage at 60 per cent of the median wage of any given year. The Government have unveiled plans to introduce a new living wage, replacing the current minimum wage model.

Officially announcing the switch at Dublin Castle on Tuesday afternoon (14 June), Tánaiste Leo Varadkar outlined the proposal to introduce a living wage for all ...

That is why I am proposing we phase this in and I will be listening to employers’ views on these draft proposals." The national minimum wage is currently set at €10.50 per hour. The new proposals follow a consultation between the Tánaiste and the Low Pay Commission that took place over the past year.

The living wage in Ireland currently stands at €12.17 - an increase of almost €2 on the minimum wage of €10.50.

Don't forget to sign up to our free newsletters here to receive the stories that matter most to you directly. The Tanaiste said at today's press briefing: "It's crucial that we make sure work pays. The proposal we're making today will fix that.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar brought a memo to Cabinet proposing the living wage be set at 60 per cent of the median wage in any given year. The national minimum wage ...

Asked whether 60 per cent of median earnings constitutes a paltry sum, particularly when inflation is running high, Mr Varadkar said that “everyone’s circumstances are different. Mr Varadkar said he intends to bring his plan before various interested parties, including employer and worker representative groups, unions and the public, for consultation before bringing a final plan back to Government. However it has not kept up with average earnings.

It is planned that the minimum wage will be abolished in 2026, which the Tánaiste said will require legislation.

It is planned that the minimum wage will be abolished in 2026, which Mr Varadkar said will require legislation. From next year, it is proposed that the living wage will be calculated as 60% of median wage in any given year. Announcing the plan, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: “Better terms and conditions for employees must be one of the legacies of the pandemic.

The Government has unveiled plans to introduce a living wage which will replace the current minimum wage and see higher wages among the lowest paid workers.

“What we don’t want to do is to price them out of the labour market. The most important workers right is the right to work and if we went too high, or too fast, you could see people losing their jobs. Today I outlined how I think we should introduce a living wage for all. “It’s important to bear in mind that people who currently earn the minimum wage, many are students who for example live at home, don’t necessarily have to pay rent, don’t necessarily have to pay utility bills. “At the moment, we have one of the highest minimum wages in the world. Mr Varadkar also said that workers who “get up in the morning or work late at night” and work up to 40 hours work a week, should earn enough to live on and have a “decent standard of living”.