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Noel Dunphy's speech at the ICTU Conference, July 2009
Thursday 16 July 2009, 05pm
Motion 49:
Contracts of Employment and a Living Wage
While recognising the work/life balance benefits of part-time and flexible working, this conference condemns the deliberate casualisation of employment by employers, especially large profitable retailers, through the endless subdivision of jobs into hourly paid units which fail to afford workers the opportunity to earn a decent living wage. Conference calls on the incoming Executive Council to seek the introduction of legislative measures which confer on workers a right to seek full-time employment in enterprises which it can be proven that such full-time employment is sustainable.
Noel Dunphy, Mandate NEC, speaking on the second part of the above Motion 49:
“I would like to speak to the second part of the motion, namely, the term living wage. In recent times, employers have attempted to attack the present wage structure by, for example, the use of the High Court and other forums in order to drive down salaries. At present we seem to be employed by our bosses and (but also) working for Ireland Plc (LTD). We had non-negotiated pay cuts, levies, pension levies so resulting in a loss of 1/3 of our salary to the preceding factors.
We need a living wage / the questions
What is a line of acceptance
Certainly not minimum wage.
Question – If our salaries were and are linked to the fluctuation of economy, e.g. present downward trends = pay cuts / levies, etc.
Question – Where to on inclusion, when the profits are upward and off the graph, e.g., late 1990s reaching projections of 27% growth but curtailed by national pay agreements by AV of 15% to 3% of pay rises in comparison.
At present, due to present policy, savings made by workers that would include:
Savings on hours/working time
Non-payment for some hours worked
Change of rosters (negotiated or not)
Loss of earnings up to 15% of salaries
Non payments of various agreements gives us a situation comparable to what did exist @ levels in 2005/2007.
Even allowing for that situation, the value of the economy for one day in 2007 was €884 million per day (one day).
What we need is an inclusive living wage (based on the economy) not a minimum wage.
Thank you, Noel Dunphy