Members will be aware that one of the last actions by Leo Varadkar when he was Minister for Enterprise was to ask the Low Pay Commission to consider whether the rates of pay that are legally permissible for employers to pay to staff below the age of 20 should be abolished.
Following a limited Consultation, to which CSNA accepted an invitation to participate , a recommendation was made by the LPC that the rates for 18 and 19 year olds be abolished, but not with immediate effect.
During a heated argument in the Dáil last week (here), the Minister Peter Burke TD told Deputy Paul Murphy that he had decided to defer any change to the rates until 2029. In addition, the Minister made it clear that this action was being taken to help employers. We are very pleased to see a Minister for Enterprise that actually understands the needs of our sector.
