A minimum wage would drive up wages in small companies but do nothing for the unemployed, ISME, the small and medium sized firms' lobby group, said yesterday.

In its submission to the Government's minimum wage commission, ISME said that instead, the low-paid should be removed from the tax net.

ail when it first proposed a minimum wage, remain unfilled". The demand for labour had pushed the cost up so high as to make the work of the minimum wage commission irrelevant before it began, ISME suggested.