Leo Varadkar has pledged to introduce the ‘Living Wage’ of €12.30 for low-paid workers.
This would be a massive pay hike of 20% for many workers on the minimum wage of just over a tenner an hour.
Mr Varadkar did not put a timeline on when we could see it, but his spokesman said the plan is to introduce it, “within the lifetime of this Government.”
Social justice campaigners have long argued that the minimum wage, currently at €10.20, is not enough for people to live on.
The Low Pay Commission has come on board with campaigners for what is called a Living Wage, which has been pitched at €12.30.
The Minister for Business is now backing the proposal too, and he believes that the work of low-paid workers during Covid could be recognised with the new base wage.
Mr Varadkar told the Employment Bar Association of lawyers in a virtual address: “I think the pandemic has caused us to redefine frontline or essential worker.
“Traditionally, we thought of the doctor, nurse, garda, or fireman, generally people in uniform with good public sector jobs.
“Now we also think of the retail worker, transport worker, cleaner and food service staff.
“One of the legacies of the pandemic must be better terms and conditions for them including the move to a living wage and access to an occupational pension.”
Mr Varadkar also spoke at the same event about how the workplace will have changed radically when Covid has eventually passed, and how working practices will have changed forever.
He said: “When the pandemic is over, many of us will return to the office.
“But things will never be the same again.
“Many of us will engage in ‘blended working’, working sometimes from our offices, and sometimes from our homes or hubs.
“There are multiple benefits to this both for society and the individual. Less commuting, more time for family & leisure and fewer greenhouse gas emissions from transport.
“New job opportunities will be created for people who want to live in Rural Ireland, for people with disabilities and for people with caring responsibilities.
“We will see this opportunity reflected in our smaller towns and villages as they benefit from new investment, footfall and local spend.
“But as with any great opportunity, there are also challenges which need to be managed too.
“We don’t want to see our cities hollowed out. Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway will be competing with Barcelona, Liverpool, Paris and Lisbon in the battle for talent.
“And talent can remote work from almost anywhere, so our cities need to be vibrant places where talent wants to live.
