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Poll: Should we increase the minimum wage?

Minister Joan Burton has called for a rise in the current wage of €8.65 per hour. Do you agree with her?

MINISTER FOR SOCIAL Protection Joan Burton has called for an increase in the minimum wage over the last year of the current government’s term.

In a speech to Labour’s annual Tom Johnson Summer School yesterday evening, the minister said that the State is effectively subdividing low-wage employers with welfare payments given through the Family Income Supplement, The Sunday Times reports.

It has also been suggested that an increase such as this could boost spending in the economy and make it possible for people to afford childcare and therefore get back into the workforce.

Unsurprisingly, this suggestion has been met with criticism from small business representatives who have said that this is not the right time and a rise in the rate could cripple already struggling small firms.

The minimum wage currently stands at €8.65 an hour. Do you think we should increase it?


Poll Results:

No (2954)
Yes (2049)
I'm not sure (1907)

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181 Comments
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    Mute Ciarán McPhillips
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    Nov 20th 2017, 9:46 AM

    Another reminder that the children’s hospital is being built in the wrong location. Every time there is an accident on the M50 roads into Dublin cannot manage the level of traffic.

    Inside the M50 belt just does not make sense.

    477
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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Nov 20th 2017, 12:29 PM

    @Ciarán McPhillips: such a scary thought for a child to be in an ambulance and caught up on the M50. Disgraceful decision.

    103
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    Mute Ciarán McPhillips
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    Nov 20th 2017, 1:40 PM

    @Deborah Behan: We’re sleepwalking our way towards that exact situation. The mind boggles.

    36
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    Mute mcgoo
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    Nov 20th 2017, 9:52 AM

    No doubt caused by some muppet hammering up the outside/city lanes and then nipping in to go northbound. We need to start a campaign to not let queue jumpers in.

    291
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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Nov 20th 2017, 10:48 AM

    @mcgoo:

    Or perhaps allowing queue jumpers in would stop the accidents

    52
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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Nov 20th 2017, 10:00 AM

    Meanwhile here in Leitrim….

    112
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    Mute Michael Walsh
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    Nov 20th 2017, 10:02 AM

    @Patrick J. O’Rourke: who cares about a dying county like Leitrim

    45
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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Nov 20th 2017, 10:07 AM

    @Michael Walsh: We are not dying. We’re generally quite happy that we don’t have to become a slave to make a living. Who cares about the septic tank that is Dublin? See…same question.

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    Mute Horace
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    Nov 20th 2017, 10:17 AM

    @Patrick J. O’Rourke: As a Dub myself id agree. Dublin is grinding to a standstill as we repeat the mistakes of the Celtic tiger years and continue to vote for political organisations who have their and not the nation as a whole best interests at heart.

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    Mute Karl Curran
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    Nov 20th 2017, 10:24 AM

    @Patrick J. O’Rourke: jealous

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    Mute Coco86
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    Nov 20th 2017, 11:16 AM

    @quality cheese: Did you post this on your 6 hour journey to work or from bed this morning? Hard to tell…. but “quality cheese”…… your at home

    24
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    Mute Pat Butler
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    Nov 20th 2017, 11:46 AM

    @Michael Walsh: like it or not your taxes keep Leitrim going.

    13
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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Nov 20th 2017, 1:00 PM

    @quality cheese: A tendency to resort to insults shows quite clearly a lack of intellect.

    24
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    Mute Brendan Mason
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    Nov 20th 2017, 11:15 AM

    Tailgating is the problem. Its amazing cars doing 140kph tailgating just 1 metre behind the car in front. Amazing breaking system they must have to avoid a crash if the car in front suddenly breaks. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. 1m for every 2kph. Eg a car must leave 200 metres distance at 100 kph.

    67
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    Mute marty
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    Nov 20th 2017, 11:23 AM

    @Brendan Mason: That and the roads were wet this morning, come this way every morning before 7am.

    Speed limit drops from 100 kp to 80 kp, most people dont pay any heed to that.
    Many go beyond it.

    Zero police enforcement and bad driving skills, welcome to Irish driving!

    58
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    Mute Ciarán McPhillips
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    Nov 20th 2017, 11:42 AM

    @Brendan Mason: 1m for every 2kph? Therfore using your formula travelling around 100kph should have a gap of 50m not 200m. Anyway if anyone left a gap of 200m on an Irish motorway they’d be flashed at (lights) and abused by other road users.

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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Nov 20th 2017, 12:35 PM

    @Brendan Mason: The accident happened close to the Luas car park junction before the M50. Given the time of morning the accident occurred, and it being a Monday which is probably the busiest morning of the week anyway, it’s virtually an impossibility that cars were traveling at 140kph, or anywhere remotely close to that speed.

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    Mute Brendan Mason
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    Nov 20th 2017, 12:51 PM

    @Tommy Roche: the 140 kph is an example. 4okph may be enough to cause a crash if cars are close enough to each other .

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    Mute Brendan Mason
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    Nov 20th 2017, 12:52 PM

    @Brendan Mason: 40 kph sorry.

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    Mute Seamus Ryan
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    Nov 20th 2017, 1:12 PM

    @Brendan Mason: I drive as part of my job and find that if you do leave a gap to the car in front then you’ll always have a gimp who will try to squeeze their car into that gap meaning you have to jam on the breaks

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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Nov 20th 2017, 1:14 PM

    @Brendan Mason: 1mtr behind a car in front driving at 140kmh? Bit of an exaggeration don’t you think. Most drivers wouldn’t be able to judge 60, 80,100mtrs. Little tip – if you are overtaking in the out most lane try keep right of centre of your lane. You will be able to see the break lights of the second car in front.

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    Mute Thomas Linehan
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    Nov 21st 2017, 2:21 AM

    @Brendan Mason: if you keep the right distance some mope jumps in in front of you that cuts your distance your bolloxed then . This happens very often rant over

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    Mute Larry Fitzwell
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    Nov 20th 2017, 1:00 PM

    For a lot of tech companies e.g. Facebook, Dell, Amazon, people can work from home quite a bit. With some planning you dont need mega-speed broadband either. Can’t help but think some of these businesses could make the leap to commuter towns and beyond. Clonakility has a multinational, the workers have houses, sea-air, little traffic and are 30 mins from Cork for a bit of life, and the airport also. Not ignoring the lack of routes currently available, but if more large towns within 60 mins of Galway, Limerick and Cork were utilised, how much better would life be for people? It will only take one big tech company to lead the way.

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    Mute mccumhail
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    Nov 20th 2017, 11:13 AM

    Vomit. How do people put up with this shit everyday of their lives.
    Life is short people.

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    Mute Brendan Mason
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    Nov 20th 2017, 12:20 PM

    @Ciarán McPhillips: I ment 50 metres for 100 kph.
    70 metres for 140 kph etc.

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    Mute Brendan Mason
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    Nov 20th 2017, 12:25 PM

    @Brendan Mason: but they are not leaving a fraction of that distance. Gung ho. Flash lights. The road is mine attitude. Slap on the breaks etc.

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    Mute Kevin
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    Nov 20th 2017, 12:37 PM

    @Brendan Mason:

    Spot on. Clueless behaviour.

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    Mute Oliver
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    Nov 21st 2017, 3:22 PM

    H

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