Ictu leader denies threat to minimum wage

WORKERS' RIGHTS:GENERAL SECRETARY of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) David Begg has rejected claims by elements of the No campaign that the Lisbon Treaty puts Ireland's minimum wage in jeopardy.

Mr Begg said yesterday there was no basis for the assertion that ratifying the treaty would pose a threat to the national minimum wage and would lead to a “race to the bottom”.

Posters placed by the No campaign have claimed the minimum wage would be cut if the treaty is ratified, with Cóir posters questioning whether it could fall to €1.84.

The claim has been consistently denied by politicians supporting the treaty, who say Europe has no role in setting the minimum wage rates. That assertion was echoed by Mr Begg yesterday.

“There is a basic statutory minimum wage of €8.65 per hour that must apply to all adult workers in Ireland, and in addition there are also a range of statutory higher minima that apply to a range of specific sectors,” he said.

Mr Begg said the rate was set either by the agreement of the social partners or by a recommendation from the Labour Court if such an agreement could not be reached.

“This is solely a national process and there is no role whatsoever for any European institution in either the process or the rate itself. This is set out in Article 137 (5) of the existing treaty and there is no change under the Lisbon Treaty,” Mr Begg said.