Richard Boyd Barrett: Apprentices Deserve the Minimum Wage
Richard Boyd Barrett challenges current apprenticeship pay rates and argues they undermine efforts to fix the housing crisis and chronic infrastructure deficits. He warns that paying apprentices below the minimum wage forces many to drop out, take low-paid work, or leave the country.
Problem and claim
Richard Boyd Barrett says one of the biggest obstacles to solving the housing crisis and infrastructure shortfalls is the shortage of skilled tradespeople. He links that shortage to abysmally low apprentice wages in first and second year that sit below the minimum wage.
Consequences for young people and the labour market
Boyd Barrett describes how apprentices drop out to take jobs in fast food chains and how low pay sends the message that young workers are not valued, driving qualified tradespeople to emigrate. He highlights the strain on apprentices who pay rent, raise families and try to live on well below a living wage.
Policy demand and position
He calls for a legal entitlement to at least the minimum wage for apprentices as a modest but essential step to retain and value young tradespeople. Boyd Barrett states he does not oppose the bill under discussion and frames fair apprentice pay as necessary to support construction, trades and the wider economy.
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Yeah, just to follow on from Paul's point there, I mean the biggest or one of the biggest obstacles to us solving the housing crisis and indeed chronic deficits in infrastructure that we have in this country are the lack of skilled trades people and the idea that we are making it severely difficult for young people to qualify in these areas because of absolutely abysmally low rates for apprentices particularly in first and second year of apprenticeships where they're just over 7 euro and just over 11 euro but below the minimum wage means that apprentices are dropping out often to work in fast food chains and not because they want to but because the pay levels are so low and of course it's also sending a message to our young people which unfortunately many of them are acting which is we don't really value their work at all so they're leaving huge numbers of people who want to work in the area of construction and trades and so on are just leaving the country even if they do qualify because they do not feel valued so it is absolutely inexplicable that we would expect apprentices who are I think the average age of apprentices is about 23 approximately many of them will have to pay rents have children have relationships have lives and they're expected to live on in some cases in first year about half of a living wage and less than a minimal wage it's inexplicable and of course then there's the you know rates of social protection that are less for younger people we're sending a message we don't care we don't value our young people and it's no wonder therefore many of them are leaving the country so this is a minimal step to say young people doing apprenticeships or young people generally should not be paid less than the minimum wage and that should be a legal right and entitlement. Thank you. Is the bill being opposed? I'm not opposed.
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