Row over call for minimum wage cut

Dublin- Calls for a €1 cut in the minimum wage were branded 'immoral' today.
The Small Firms Association (SFA) wants pay to drop to €7.65 an hour in a bid to curb rising dole queues. Director Patricia Callan said the National Minimum Wage (NMW) is also a major contributor to youth unemployment.
Last month more than 220,000 people claimed unemployment benefits, a jump of almost 20,000 from May. The last time the Live Register was this high was in August 1998.
“Ireland has lost the plot in terms of having a competitive labour market,” said Ms Callan.“Minimum wage comparisons are symptomatic of what Ireland has become – a high-cost, uncompetitive economy.
“If we continue in this way there is no future in Ireland for labour-intensive industries.”The Irish minimum wage is the second highest in Europe. Set at €8.65 per hour (€1,462 a month), it lags only behind Luxembourg where it is 1,570 euro a month.The hourly rate is more than twice that of the United States – the largest economy in the world – 9% higher than the UK, and 13 times that of Bulgaria.