Pro-Lisbon business group rejects €1.84 minimum wage claims
An umbrella group of more than 50 business and professional organisations said today said that the claim from anti-Lisbon group Coir that the treaty will result in the minimum wage being reduced to €1.84 per hour was without foundation and an insult to the intelligence of voters.
The claim features on posters which have been erected across the country in recent days.
According to Brendan Butler, spokesperson for Business for Europe: “The claim is without any foundation and is a cynical attempt to scare voters with deliberate misinformation.
"The EU has absolutely no role in setting the minimum wage, it is a matter for each individual country. Ireland has the second highest minimum wage in Europe, and this is set by the Irish Government. The Lisbon Treaty does not change this."
Mr Butler also said that ratification of the Lisbon Treaty was a vital step on the road to economic recovery.
"A 'Yes' vote is vital for jobs and the economy," he said. "The scale of the global economic crisis has highlighted our vulnerability and the need for a strong Europe so we can together face shared challenges.
"The treaty will reform how decisions are made in the EU so that Europe can remain an engine for economic growth and prosperity. It will enable the EU to responded faster to the challenges ahead, such as energy security, global health threats, the rise of India and China as economic forces, and climate change. This is vital for the success of Ireland and Europe."
Members of Business for Europe include the American Chamber of Commerce, IBEC, the Irish Taxation Institute, the Irish Hotels Federation, Chambers Ireland, the Irish Exporters Association and the Small Firms Association.
Cóir believe the claim is legitimate, however.
“The poster … asks a crucially important question: how can we protect the right to earn a living wage when the EU Court is repeatedly undermining that right?” said Cóir spokesman Brian Hickey.
“Protocol 27 of the Lisbon Treaty copperfastens EU Court rulings - such as Laval, Rüffert, and Viking - that have repeatedly found against workers and for big business.
“Now even the right to earn the minimum wage of the country in which you are employed is under attack; while in Ireland our own Government is leading the charge to lower the Irish minimum wage.
“€1.84 is the average of the hourly minimum wage rates set by the EU's 12 Accession countries - mostly from Eastern Europe. Their wage rates were obtained from Eurostat.
“Sub-contractors, employing workers from such countries, have got the EU Courts to agree that wage agreements set by wealthier EU countries (of which Ireland is one) may be set aside.
“Protocol No.27 of the Lisbon Treaty copperfastens Laval and related judgments by stating that in the EU 'the internal market...includes a system ensuring that competition is not distorted ... To this end the Union shall take action under the provisions of the Treaties'. It ensures that the right to freely provide services (and make profit) always trumps the right to earn a decent wage.
“Who knows where this is going to end?”
