IBEC and FF threaten more attacks on lower-paid, warns Maurice Quinlivan

Maurice Quinlivan

LIMERICK CITY Councillor Maurice Quinlivan has hit out at further attacks on the wages and living standards of low-paid workers in the pipeline by employers’ group IBEC and Fianna Fáil.

IBEC has called for the incoming government to review the operation of Employment Regulation Orders, and Registered Employment Agreements. These regulations set minimum rates of pay across a range of key sectors of the economy such as construction, security, contract cleaning, hairdressing, restaurants and hotels.

Maurice Quinlivan declared:

IBEC's led the charge on reducing the minimum wage and it seems its sole agenda is to cut wages in order to increase profits.

Quite apart from the injustice of taking more money from hard-pressed working families, this recommendation also represents more of the failed free market thinking that helped land our economy in the mess that it is in.

Low-paid families spend almost all of their limited wages on goods and services. If a further cut is made to wage rates across the affected sectors, you are talking about it impacting on 300,000 workers and their families.  That will mean a lot less goods and services being purchased in the real economy which in turn will drive more business's to the wall.

The Sinn Féin Dáil candidate warned about IBEC’s allise in Fianna Fáil and that a vote for Fianna Fáil is a vote for more cuts to low pay.

IBEC have their allies in the form of the outgoing government. Fianna Fáil have already instigated this review and have promised to have it completed in six weeks.

Voters should realise that a vote for Fianna Fáil is a vote for cutting the pay of some of the lowest-paid workers in the state. And that is on top of their vote to slash the national minimum wage.

Maurice Quinlivan concluded:

Sinn Féin is committed to restoring the minimum wage at €8.65. Low-paid workers didn't cause this crisis and they shouldn't be the ones to pay for it.

Martin McGuinness canvassing with Maurice Quinlivan in Limerick City and the Milk Market where Sinn Féin met traders on Saturday