FF call for private sector pay increases
Fianna Fáil is calling for pay increases in the private sector to match up with pay hikes due for public sector.
The Opposition party is "cautiously" welcoming the proposed agreement reached between Government and public sector union officials yesterday, and said the minimum wage should be increased to €9.20.
Unions are to begin balloting their members following yesterday's agreement. The deal includes €2,000 pay increases which are expected to happen over three phases between January of next year and September of 2017.
They will be achieved through a combination of adjustments to the public service pension levy and a partial reversal of the 2010 public service pay cuts.
Fianna Fáil's Spokesperson on Public Expenditure, Sean Fleming, said he wants to see the agreement in full before making a comprehensive statement.
"I want to see the full details of the agreement from the LRC," he said.
"We know it has to be approved by the Government … and be voted on by the union membership in the coming months.
People will say, maybe, [that] it's a big increase or a small increase, but it is an increase - and it's the first one that we've seen in some time."
