Paul Murphy: End the Super-Exploitation of Young Workers
Paul Murphy introduces the National Minimum Wage Equal Pay for Apprentices and Young Workers Bill in the Dáil to abolish sub-minimum pay for apprentices and young workers. He argues the practice is 'super-exploitation' and cites ESRI research showing the share of young workers on sub-minimum rates rose from 20% to 30% since 2020.
Bill introduced
Paul Murphy presents the bill to remove sub-minimum wage rates for apprentices and workers under 20. He says the measure is necessary to stop employers using age-based loopholes to pay far less than the national minimum wage.
Data and impact
Murphy cites ESRI research showing a sharp increase in young workers paid sub-minimum rates, estimating about 30,000 affected. He notes that while the national minimum wage has risen, the loophole has allowed employers to avoid paying even that inadequate floor.
Bosses' justifications criticised
Murphy challenges arguments from employer representatives, singling out claims from the Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Association that low pay for young workers benefits poorer social classes and deters gratification. He calls those justifications 'out of the dark ages.'
Apprenticeship reality
Murphy highlights the extreme low pay of first-year craft apprentices, recounting evidence from the union Connect about apprentices entering training later, supporting families, paying rent, buying tools and relocating - all on wages well below the minimum.
Consequences and call to action
Murphy frames the bill as part of a broader fight against a housing and cost-of-living crisis that is intensified by legalised low pay. He urges lawmakers to abandon sub-minimum rates and make apprenticeships a viable route for young people.
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I so move. I'm glad to be introducing this bill, the National Minimum Wage Equal Pay for Apprentices and Young Workers Bill. It's a bill to end the super-exploitation of young workers and apprentices. We introduced a similar bill in the last Dáil to abolish sub-minimum wage rates for workers aged under 20. At the time, the government claimed to be looking into abolishing these super-low rates of pay. They mean that a young worker can be paid as little as £9.91 an hour, £4.24 less than the national minimum wage. Of course, in reality, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have done nothing of the sort. They've ignored the recommendation of the Low Pay Commission, they ignored the vote of this Dáil to do away with these sub-minimum wage rates and are doubling down on shafting young people on pay, just like they're shafting them on housing and the cost of living. Research by the ESRI has shown that the percentage of workers on these super-low, super-exploitative rates of pay have doubled since 2020. The national minimum wage has gone up, it's still entirely inadequate, but the result is that greedy employers are using sub-minimum wage rates for young people as a loophole to get out of paying even that inadequate minimum wage. We've gone from 20% of young workers being paid sub-minimum rates in 2020 now to 30%, a massive jump involving about 30,000 young people. The justifications used by bosses for this are outrageous. I had to listen to some of them in the committee. Dealing with this is me. The Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Association has claimed that exploiting young people in this way is of greater long-run benefit and importance for poorer social classes where education is their way out of lower-skilled employment. They also claimed that paying young workers the national minimum wage might cause them to favour gratification. This is the type of attitude towards young workers that we're dealing with. It's like something out of the dark ages. What's also out of the dark ages are the levels of pay being paid to apprentices. First-year craft apprentices being paid 7.67 an hour, 6.48 less than the national minimum wage. That's disgraceful. Their union, Connect, says that apprentices now usually start in their 20s rather than their teens. They say that the average apprentice will have at least one child to support. 60% are renting. They have rents to pay, mortgages to pay. They also have to pay for their own tools. In some cases, a thousand euros or more. They often have to relocate around the country and pay course fees as well. How are they meant to survive on less than eight euros an hour? It's an absolute joke. It's also proof that you're not serious about fixing the housing crisis. You should be doing everything in your power to attract young workers in to be apprentices instead of legalising this super-exploitation.
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