Dublin City Council now leading the fight against low pay
Issued : Tuesday 6 February, 2007
Speaking in Drimnagh this afternoon, Labour Councillor Eric Byrne said that yesterday's vote by Dublin City Council to endorse his 'Living Wage' motion represented an effective condemnation of skinflint employers.
Modelled on similar campaigns in the UK and the US, a 'Living Wage' will ensure that the hundreds of private sector companies working on contract for Dublin City Council pay their employees a new 'Living Wage', which Cllr. Byrne believes should be not less than €10 per hour.
"The 'Living Wage' campaign bought together progressive politicians and trade unionists determined to put an end to the scandal of low pay. This is the first time that a local authority has taken the lead on such a major social issue, and I hope that the example of Dublin City Council will be followed around the country.
"Following passage of the motion, a committee will now be formed to examine the issue in more depth and take submissions from interested groups including trade unions, employers' organisations and community groups working with those most direct affected by low pay. I have little doubt that this process will result in the introduction of a wage floor for anyone working for Dublin City Council contractors.
"The 'Living Wage' introduced by London Mayor Ken Livingstone has already helped lift thousands out of poverty. I believe that Dublin's 'Living Wage' will have a similar result.
"But a 'Living Wage' must be the start rather than the end of a concerted movement to end low pay. Even a new floor of €10 an hour is scarcely enough to live on, although it would be a significant improvement on current minimum wage levels. In the long term, we need to achieve a national consensus that low pay and working poverty are unacceptable in one of the world's richest countries", Cllr. Byrne concluded.
The wording of the motion is contained below:
DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL MOTION
Dublin City Council, noting that
An alarming number of workers in Dublin and Ireland suffer from low-wages and that such low-wages are a threat to the prosperity and public welfare of society;
Many workers suffer from job displacement or the threat of such in many sectors of the economy and,
As a consequence, many workers cannot participate in civic life or pursue educational, cultural and recreational opportunities because they either do not have the income or because they must work such long hours in order to meet their households' most basic needs;
There is a substantial social cost associated with the phenomenon of low-pay and the resulting denial of full participation in civic and economic life;
All democratic-elected authorities and public agencies should play a vital role in ensuring the public welfare and that public welfare requires adequate wages and benefit to ensure a decent and healthy life for workers and their families;
That the National Minimum Wage, while protecting workers from the worst abuses in the workplace and the economy, is nonetheless insufficient to provide the income and benefits for a decent and healthy life;
That the EU threshold measurement for Low Pay and the Council of Europe's Threshold of Decency are set substantially higher than the national minimum wage.
Noting all of the above, Dublin City Council resolves to do everything practicable to use its own powers of employment and procurement to implement a 'Living Wage' - a new wage floor that would be set substantially higher than the current National Minimum Wage in keeping with the needs of workers and their families, namely that
(a) no employee employed by Dublin City Council, and
(b) no employee employed by, or working on contract or subcontractor for, any company or contractor or subcontractor selling goods and services to Dublin City Council
shall be paid less than the 'Living Wage' minimum as implemented by Dublin City Council.
Therefore, Dublin City Council shall establish a Steering Group to examine
(a) All issues - legal, financial, social and industrial - arising from the implementation of a new 'Living Wage' minimum and to take submissions by interested parties,
(b) What that new 'Living Wage' minimum shall be and what conditions shall be attached to it and, specifically, how its implementation can be monitored,
(c) How Dublin City Council can use additional powers to implement a new 'Living Wage minimum, and
(d) How Dublin City Council can mobilise trade unions, the business sector, community organizations and the citizens of Dublin to ensure that the 'Living Wage' minimum is established for all workers in Dublin;
And that the Steering Committee shall report back its findings and recommendations to Dublin City Council no later than March 1st 2007.
