Minimum wage increase would add 2.5% to grocery bills, warns ISME

Proposed wage increase would be 'unsustainable' for members

The Low Pay Commission recently recommended that the minimum wage be increased from the current rate of €11.30 an hour to €12.70 an hour — a 12% increase. 

Retail members of the Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Association (ISME) have claimed that a proposed increase to the minimum wage will add between 1% and 2.5% to grocery bills, depending on the size of the store. 

The Low Pay Commission recently recommended that the minimum wage be increased from the current rate of €11.30 an hour to €12.70 an hour — a 12% increase. A decision on any increase to the minimum wage will be made in the budget in October.