TDs and Senators discuss National Minimum Wage

The National Minimum Wage is being discussed by TDs and Senators this afternoon.

Recently, the country's largest trade union SIPTU said it would seek a minimum living wage of €11.45 an hour.

However, employers' group IBEC said many companies were still in survival mode and keeping costs under control was vital to sustaining existing employment and creating new jobs.

Chair of the joint committee on jobs, enterprise and innovation Marcella Corcoran-Kennedy said it was important to remove the reliance on social welfare.

"We'll be hearing from people impacted by decisions around the living wage," she said. "The idea is that people would have a comfortable wage to live from without having to resort to social welfare."

The committee will hear from ISME, IBEC, UCC and others.