Tag Archives: ‘Living Wage

MORE than 120 employers, trade union representatives and civil society organisations gathered at Dublin Castle today (Wednesday) for a forum on the Living Wage. The event was hosted by Minister for Business & Employment, Ged Nash and addressed by the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton. The Living Wage is an independently assessed and measured rate of income considered necessary to meet basic needs, such as housing, food, clothing, transport and healthcare. Minister Nash has been championing the introduction of a voluntary Living Wage Campaign and has been engaging with progressive employers who are ready to take a leading role in bringing the campaign to Ireland. IKEA, SSE, Oxfam, Clúid Housing, the Dublin Food Coop and the Labour Party have signalled their support for the development of a Living Wage Campaign in Ireland. Tánaiste Joan Burton announced at the Forum that she had secured funding for the next phase of work on a Living Wage Campaign in Ireland. …

THE Irish Congress of Trade Unions president has urged Clare County Council to declare the county a “Living Wage County”. John Douglas was speaking at a civic reception hosted by the local authority for ICTU on Tuesday night. Congress has repeatedly called for the implementation of a Living Wage of €11.50 per hour in the Republic of Ireland. This would bean increase of nearly 33% on the minimum wage for an experienced adult worker, currently set at €8.65. The Living Wage is a wage that makes possible a minimum standard of living. Mr Douglas made the call at the reception following a comment by former Mayor of Ennis, Councillor Johnny Flynn. “If I could get support from a number of my colleagues, we would put down a proposal at next week’s Clare County Council meeting to discuss seeking Government support for the Living Wage,” the Fine Gael councillor stated. Councillor Flynn said while the matter is not currently on the agenda, there is …

Almost 700 delegates, observers and visitors from across the island of Ireland are in Ennis this week for the Irish Congess of Trade Unions’ Biennial Delegate Conference (BDC). Congress represents some 750,000 workers north and south of the border and is the largest civil society body on the island of Ireland. The 2015 conference theme is ‘Living Wage, Strong Economy’ and over the course of July 7-9 delegates will debate key motions on pay, the economy, low hour contracts, publics services and the proposed TTIP trade deal BDC 2015 at Treacys West County Hotel will also hear from a number of high-profile speakers, including Tanaiste Joan Burton; Bernadette Segol, the head of the European Trade Union Confederation, Sharan Burrow of the International Trade Union Confederation and Palestinian diplomat Ali Safieh. The forcus of debate in Tuesday’s opening session was pay and economy, with debate turning to Northern Ireland in the afterrnoon. Among the keynote speakers will be outgoing Congress president, John Douglas who is …