Let us build an economy that works for all
1. Minimum Wage:
Labour Youth believes the Minimum Wage should be increased to €13 an hour
2.Worker Discrimination
Labour Youth notes with concern the continued discrimination of workers within certain sectors and condemns any comments made by employers suggesting that employability should be impacted by race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity/expression, sexuality, religion etc.
Labour Youth further notes with concern Section 37.1 of the Employment Equality Act 1998 which allows religious, educational and medical institutions to discriminate against those who, as they see it, do not fit their ethos. This particularly affects LGBT employees. Labour Youth is therefore committed to the promotion of workers’ rights and equality, and to actively campaign for the removal of Section 37.1 of the aforementioned act.
3.Public Holidays
Labour Youth notes that the European average for public holiday days is 11, yet Ireland only has nine public holidays a year. To bring Irish workers time off in line with that of their European comrades, Conference proposes that there should be two additional public holidays in Ireland. Labour Youth restates its call for a National Independence Day to be established on the 21st January, the date of the first meeting of the Dáil. Furthermore, Labour Youth calls for an additional public holiday to take place on the first Monday in July.
4. Targeted Skills Training:
Labour Youth recognises the problems with structural unemployment in the Irish economy, as well as the deficit in certain skills, and therefore calls on the government to target training through Solas for sectors which are currently being targeted by the IDA and Enterprise Ireland.
