This article is from page 15 of the 2007-07-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
STAFF who are arriving first day on the job without experience are demanding minimum wage, causing headaches for employers, according to the Ennis Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber says there is confu- sion about who is entitled to the new minimum wage of €8.65 which was introduced by new Labour Affairs Minister Billy Kelliher last week.
“It’s important to note that the min- imum wage applies to people over 18 years of age with experience in their field,” said chamber CEO, Rita Weal tious
“People who are coming straight from school with no experience can- not be paid the minimum because there is a cost involved with training them,’ she said.
While the increases had _ been agreed as part of a national plan, the CEO said that businesses would hope that once the level had been reached, further increases would not come as quickly on each other again.
The increase to the National Mini- mum Wage is the second this year. The first increase to took effect on January 1, last. Overall it is the sixth increase to the national minimum wage since it was first introduced in
April 2000.
Ms McInerney said that the increas- ing cost of paying wages was one of a number of mounting expenses which were putting businesses under pres- sure.
“With the review of valuations on property in Ennis coming up, we re- ally need to examine the costs. If a business improves its premises, it’s caught for higher rates. The cost of renting a premises in Ennis is also something which needs to be looked ale
“We are concerned with the number of empty premises in the town. It’s not good for business or for the 1m- age of the town.”
Introducing the new wage, the minister said that the increase would “clearly benefit low paid workers in society, in particular part-time and younger workers”.
Anybody seeking information on the increase in the national mini- mum wage can telephone the Em- ployment Rights Information Unit at Ol 6313131, 1890 201 615 Co-call if outside the O1 area) or visit the web- site www.entemp.!e.