Bruton to meet with Restaurants Association on wage-setting agreements

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton is to meet with the Restaurants Association of Ireland today to discuss JLC wage-setting agreements.

Minister Bruton has announced plans to reform the mechanisms used to set the wage rates, which could also include a change to overtime pay and cuts to Sunday premium pay for workers in some sectors, incuding in the hotel and catering industries.

The Association recently condemned as 'economic fiction' a report by the Labour Court Chairman Kevin Duffy and Frank Walsh of UCD last month which recommended reforms to the JLC system but found that no significant job creation would result from their abolition.

The Association claims jobs are being lost and businesses are closing on a Sunday because of restaurants being obligated to pay Sunday premium rates.

It claims its members could create 4,000 new jobs if the JLCs are abolished.