BUDGET 2016: Labour TDs hail 50c hike in minimum wage as victory

Labour TDs have hailed a 50c increase in the minimum wage as a major victory, despite trade unions pushing for a bigger boost to €10 an hour.

The Cabinet agreed to set the new rate at €9.15 an hour in line with the recommendation of the Low Pay commission which Tánaiste Joan Burton battled to have established.

While union and migrants rights’ voices on the commission issued a minority report calling for a larger than 50c increase, Labour deputies said securing the rise was an achievement following on from restoring the cut to the rate imposed by the previous Fianna Fáil-Green administration.