Fresh pay freeze call as job losses hit 20,000

THE Irish labour market has witnessed more than 20,000 redundancies since the start of the year, more than half in construction and manufacturing, according to Government figures.

Last month, companies let go 3,914 workers, compared with 2,287 in July 2007.

This statistic represents a 36% increase in redundancies on last year and was being used by the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association yesterday to renew a call for a wage freeze.