Many employers in Northern Ireland are flouting the national minimum wage recently introduced by the British government by reducing employees' working hours or employing people younger than 21, a new report has said.
Many employers in Northern Ireland are flouting the national minimum wage recently introduced by the British government by reducing employees' working hours or employing people younger than 21, a new report has said.
The report, published yesterday by the public sector trade union Unison and the pressure group Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network, says the minimum wage of £3.60 sterling (€5.62) an hour has had little impact on low-paid workers as employers have changed terms and conditions of contracts to cut costs. The report also says that mature people have been made redundant and replaced by workers aged 18 to 21, who are paid at the lower rate of £3 an hour, or under 18s, who get paid at the employers' discretion. There have also been incidents of employers cutting wages to the minimum wage rate, thus turning the minimum wage into a "maximum" one. Many employees, especially women in part-time jobs, are afraid to raise the issue out of fear of losing their jobs, the report continues.
The regional secretary of Unison and president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Ms Inez McCormack said it was unacceptable for employers to use all kinds of "tricks" to avoid implementing the minimum wage. "We must ensure that the minimum wage is set at a living wage of £5 an hour; that it should apply to any person, regardless of age who is carrying out a full job; that enforcement is real; and that the rate is adjusted on a yearly basis at least in line with median pay."
