Living Wage Deferral Will Adversely Affect 1-in-5 Workers
Wednesday 30 April 2025Mandate says ESRI research shows living wage deferral will adversely affect nearly 1 in 5 workers coming into new jobs.
Retail and bar workers especially hard hit as well as young workers by postponement of sub-minimum wage rate abolition
Union calls on Government to reverse recent decisions on Living Wage and Sub-Minimum Wage
The Mandate Trade Union has today said that the Economic and Social Research Institute’s (ESRI) for the Low Pay Commission published today shows that the Government’s three-year deferral of the Living Wage will affect nearly one-in-five workers coming into new jobs.
The union’s Interim Assistant General Secretary, Jim Fuery, said that it’s clear that retail and bar workers will be especially hard hit by the Government’s decision as well as young workers due to the indefinite postponement of the abolition of sub-minimum wage rates.
“While Mandate Trade Union collectively bargains pay rates well in excess of the minimum wage in retail and bar trades, we know from our day-to-day work about the increasing usage of minimum wage rates by profitable employers in those trades. Today’s ESRI research shows that in 2024 nearly one-in-five job vacancies are being advertised at the minimum wage – double the number from 2021. These workers will be especially hard hit by the Government’s decision to defer the introduction of the Living Wage for three years.”
Jim Fuery said that the increased costs being borne by employers – the reason used by the Government to defer the Living Wage’s introduction – are equally being felt by workers but that doesn’t seem to be matter as much to Government.
“Young workers are being hit by the cost-of-living pressures just like everybody else in society and what makes things worse is that they’re not even allowed to be on the inadequate Minimum Wage, they’re on pay rates below that. This practice is paternalistic and discriminatory and this is why we are calling on the Government to reverse its decision on postponing the abolition Sub-Minimum Wage rates as well as the introduction of the Living Wage,” Jim Fuery concluded.
