Westport Sinn Féin candidate calls for minimum wage changes for young workers

Karen Gallagher, Sinn Féin candidate for Mayo County Council in the Westport local electoral area, is calling for new legislation to raise the minimum wage for younger workers. She spoke in support of such a measure at the recent Sinn Féin Ard Fhéis in Athlone.

“We cannot stand by and watch our youth being discriminated against based on their age,” she said.

Under current law, workers below the age of 18 are paid 70 percent of the standard minimum wage rate. Workers aged 18 are paid 80 percent, and 19-year-old workers are paid 90 percent of the full rate. Apprentices are also exempt from full minimum wage.

“These pay rates are too low to allow a decent standard of living for young people. There is a fundamental issue of equity here.”

The present system also presents a barrier for young workers who are trying to get further education, according to the Sinn Féin candidate. An 18 year-old in the same 35-hour-a-week job as a 20-year old, for example, will earn €4,000 less over the course of a year. Eighty percent of 18-year-olds in that category classify themselves as students. Gallagher said that paying young people less than the minimum wage forces students to work extra hours to afford their education. Many drop out because of cost-of-living pressures.

“As a mother of young teenagers, this motion is close to my heart.”

The Sinn Féin is Secretary (Rúnai) for County Mayo Sinn Féin and the McBride/Lyons Cumann in Westport. She is a full-time employee at Abbvie Pharmaceuticals. She also volunteers with Westport GAA as a coach for underage teams. A native of Moorehall, she lives with in Cushlough near Carrowkennedy with her husband Dave and their five children.