The Small Firms Association has called on the government to maintain the current national minimum wage at its current rate for three years.
The call comes as the Low Pay Commission prepares to deliver its recommendations to the government in the coming weeks.
Commenting, AJ Noonan, Chairman of the Small Firms Association, said “Small businesses truly are the engines of our economic recovery. We have a vital role to play in terms of employment generation, especially in regional towns and villages and rural Ireland.
“Artificially increasing labour costs will not only dampen this recovery, but will ultimately lead to both the prevention of job growth and to job losses.”
Noonan added that maintaining the minimum wage at its current rate would mean that small businesses would have “certainty over their labour costs” as the economy starts to recover.
The minimum wage has stood at €8.65 an hour since 2007.
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
