Young People Being Paid Less Than Minimum Wage, And It’s “Legal”
Image Credits: Ladybird
Young People Being Paid Less Than Minimum Wage, And It’s “Legal”
Text: Izzy Copestake
15,000 young people are being paid less than the State minimum wage
In Ireland, it’s illegal for employers to discriminate based on age. Well, it’s illegal to discriminate based on age unless you’re referring to the national minimum wage. At present, the State minimum wage is €12.70 (for those aged 20 years and older). However, for those who are 19 years old, this base rate changes to €11.43. For 18-year-olds, the rate is €10.16. What’s worse is that for those under 18, the hourly wage can be as low as €8.89, a vast €3.81 below the national minimum wage.
During Leaders’ Questions yesterday afternoon, the Dáil heard that approximately 15,000 young people are legally paid less than the State minimum wage, as per these age-based rates. TD Paul Murphy asked Justice Minister Helen McEntee: “You, Minister, are the Minister for Justice. You know that it is illegal to discriminate based on age, but that there was a legal exemption built in to allow young people to be paid less, despite doing the same work as their colleagues in the same workplace.”
In response to the question, McEntee stated: “It is legal, but it is definitely not just.”
Yesterday outside the Dáil, protesters organized by Mandate Trade Union gathered and called for an end to sub-minimum wage. The current system means that workers can be paid wildly different wages for undertaking the exact same job, which has been described by Mr. Murphy as “legalized super exploitation of young workers.”
While the Justice Minister agreed that the rules were unjust, she maintained that the government does not want to take measures that might negatively impact businesses within industries that are already under pressure. But why are young people, one of the most dramatically impacted groups by the cost-of-living crisis, the ones shouldering this burden?
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