Posted on 01/01/2025 1:47:49 PM PST by Olog-hai
From tomorrow, the minimum wage will increase by 80 cent to €13.50 per hour, directly benefiting an estimated 195,000 workers.
However, many small businesses are warning it will be the latest in a series of cost increases and that ultimately it could be the consumer that will have to pay in the form of higher prices.
Mark O’Keeffe runs the Brown Sugar hair salons in Dublin.
“This is another increase in the minimum wage and it means it has gone up by 36% since 2020,” Mr. O’Keeffe said.
“It’s becoming very challenging for us to absorb because to have deal with other new costs like sick pay, pension auto-enrollment and the fact that our suppliers have put up their prices as well,” he added.
Mr. O’Keeffe is on the executive of the Irish Hairdressers Federation and said that some members have been left with no choice but to pass their increased costs on to customers.
“Salons are looking at price increases and clients may feel that’s unfair and go elsewhere, which will all be very damaging,” he said. …
(Excerpt) Read more at rte.ie ...
And there are folks over here who want $20 an hour.
Don’t know if it’s true but I’ve read that Ireland,today,is one of Europe’s most expensive countries for cost of living.
Its strange and contradictory how “minimum wages” are promoted, along with open borders.
The result is minimum wages are either ignored, particularly among migrants, or lack of work simply pushes low-wage workers into welfare and government benefits.
That’s mainly due to the extremely high cost of housing. Eating out isn’t too expensive by western European standards. Groceries are a bit on the higher end, but again, at UK levels, more expensive than France but cheaper than Switzerland
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