Isme turns up heat on minimum pay rise

Business group Isme has upped the heat in the row over a raise in the minimum wage, saying it wants three employer representatives on the Low Pay Commission to step down as their membership was “now futile”.

The Low Pay Commission recommended the minimum wage would rise by 30c per hour. That will mean the lowest paid will receive €9.55, or an extra €12 for a 40-hour week, according to advisory group Peninsula Ireland.

But Isme said that despite the dissenting votes of the employers, the Low Pay Commission “could cite no objective evidence” in its arguments for a 3.2% increase.