Lisbon Won’t Make You Fat and It Won’t Cut the Minimum Wage – Dooley

The Lisbon campaign has only just started and ridiculous claims are already being made by Youth Defence's Coir, the worst of which is that the minimum wage will be cut by 75% according to Clare Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley. Condemning the scaremongering tactics of the group, Deputy Dooley said that people should realise that voting for Lisbon will no more cut the minimum wage than it will make you fat. This referendum is about the future of Ireland and it is too serious to be distorted by such invented attacks, he said. "The fact is that the EU has and will have no role whatsoever the level of the National Minimum Wage - in this or in any other country," Deputy Dooley said. "The National Minimum Wage in Ireland is set down in Irish Law, cannot be changed by the EU and nothing in the Lisbon Treaty will alter this situation in the slightest. "The national minimum wage rate in Ireland applies to everyone who works in Ireland - regardless of their country of origin or whether they are agency workers or full time members of staff. There are no ifs, buts or maybes." "If you work in Ireland, you cannot get less than minimum wage and the EU cannot change that, the European Court of Justice cannot change that and the Lisbon Treaty certainly cannot change that." "I sincerely hope that workers see this Youth Defence/COIR ploy for what it is and understand that the EU is the greatest promoter of the interests of Ireland's workers we have ever had. In fact, in a new move, the EU has agreed to recognise the importance of this area to the Irish people and has published a solemn declaration on the importance of workers' rights and social protection to all EU policies." concluded Deputy Dooley.