asked the Minister for Labour if he will introduce a statutory national minimum wage to protect those workers not covered by Joint Labour Committees from employers who are utilising the prevailing level of unemployment to exploit the most vulnerable workers not having membership of a trade union.
Written Answers. - Minimum Wage.
135.
The joint labour committee system at present provides statutory minimum rates of pay and conditions of employment for workers in certain sectors of the economy, which were traditionally poorly paid or where trade union organisation was weak. It is open to a trade union or any organisation or group of workers claiming to be representative of any class, type or group of workers to apply to the Labour Court for the establishment of a new joint labour committee. My proposals on industrial relations reform contain provisions aimed at improving the operation of joint labour committees and the procedures for establishing new committees.
It is my view that the JLC system can be a flexible and effective means of tackling the problem of low pay and poor conditions of employment, which can take account of the particular economic and industrial relations circumstances of different sectors.