National Minimum Wage (Inclusion of Young Persons, Apprentices and Interns) Bill 2025: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-17
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Patricia Stephenson (SD), Labour Panel

I am proud to support Senator Cosgrove's Bill. Dignity and equity at work should not be something you age into. That young workers are paid less than their peers but expected to do the same work is simply labour exploitation. It is as simple as that. You can be working the same job with the same responsibility and effort but receive totally different pay because of your age. subminimum wages discriminate against young people. It really is that black and white.
Instead of looking at ways the Government can support employers through lower energy costs, lower insurance rates, affordable rents and targeted supports to SMEs so they can manage the increased salary impact it might have on their businesses, the Government still chooses to neglect workers, many of whom are working to support themselves through college or saving up for college. In fact, with the cost-of-living crisis we have in this country, there are unfortunately young people working to support their families to pay energy bills and put food on the table. That is the reality for people across this country. We might not like to face that reality that families are struggling so much that teenagers are having to go out and put money in their parents' bank accounts.
On the question of apprenticeships, the average starting age for an apprenticeship these days is between 23 and 30 years. These people have rents to pay. They might have children to support. The landlord does not give a discount based on subminimum wages. They do not get 30% off their grocery bills.
Bringing in a minimum wage for all employees in apprenticeships, regardless of age and occupation, is only the first step. I also remind Senators that the national minimum wage is significantly below the living wage. Highly profitable multinational fast-food operators will save millions, thanks to the newly reduced VAT rate gifted to them in the Government's budget. Will we see these extra profits funnelled towards the real value makers in our society, that is, the workers? Does the Government believe, in 2025, that working for subminimum wages somehow builds character? When meaningful, well-paid employment is hard to come for young people, who would not look for alternatives such as emigration and going overseas?
ICTU's 2024 survey of apprentice pay is shocking. The average hourly wage for first-year apprentices across construction workers, electricians and mechanics is €8.67. The drop-out rate is 20%. Almost all of those who drop out cite low pay as the reason. While most employers are good employers, the fact of the unregulated, wildly inconsistent apprenticeship scheme means some employers have complete freedom to exploit young workers should they wish to do so. Unfortunately, we have lots of horrifying examples of young people being exploited in the labour market.
The State is crying out for skilled construction workers. We are crying out for electricians, stonemasons, mechanics, bricklayers and carpenters. Although the number of apprentices has risen on previous years, we need that figure to increase by another 30%, or almost 3,000 apprentices per year. How are we encouraging people to do that? This is not simply a matter of fairness. This is about facilitating high-quality apprenticeships and jobs that encourage people into the construction workforce, which we so desperately need. This is why it is essential we pass this legislation to end the exploitation of young workers, interns and apprenticeships. It is worth pointing out that if we do not pass this Bill, we will not comply with the EU directive on the adequate minimum wage. If it is not passed today, the Government may well return to this issue if we are not in compliance with EU legislation.
I fully support Senator Cosgrove. She has been systematic in her support both for young people and on labour rights, especially since becoming a Senator. As Senator Harmon said, this is a sensible and logical Bill. If we do not do this, we will be returning to this issue again because there is no rationale for us not to do it. As we have heard tonight, the question of 16- and 17-year-olds having less pay was only introduced as a means of keeping people in the education sector in the first place. We have fantastic rates of education retention for people going through to college, so why would we not pay people who unfortunately are suffering by working to pay their family's bills? It is not simply summer jobs we see young people working in. That is the reality of the cost-of-living crisis affecting families across the country.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:28+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-17