SIPTU has rejected a claim by the Small Firms Association that a legal minimum wage would hinder job creation and make it more difficult for people on the dole to re-enter the labour market.
Mr Norman Croke, of the union's hotels, restaurants and catering branch, said research carried out in the US on the impact of a legal minimum wage in the catering industry showed that employment in the industry grew where hourly rates had to rise by law, particularly in the area of teenage employment.
"The current employment crisis in the hotel and catering sector is self created, with less than one in two vacancies at skilled level being filled. The current employment crisis in the industry is wholly related to low pay and long and unsocial hours of work. The industry badly needs to look again at its employment strategies."