Unite: Govt needs to raise minimum wage immediately

The Unite trade union is calling for the minimum wage to be increased by €1.

The group is calling for a Wage Recovery Package to be implemented to increase incomes for those low rates of pay.

The union also says that the country is in a low-pay crisis, with a widening gap in wage levels.

Secretary of Unite, Jimmy Kelly, says the low pay commission should increase the minimum wage as soon as possible.

He said: "We should immediately increase the minimum wage by a euro to €9.65 per hour from €8.65.

"We welcome the fact the Government introduced a low pay commission. We don’t think it needs a big study or a big analysis to realise, because it has stayed at the same level since 2007, that it needs to be increased now."