Minimum Pay Will Increase in January
DONEGAL community and voluntary groups who have employees have been told they aren't getting any extra funding towards new minimum pay rates due to be introduced next month.
The increase in the rate of the national minimum wage from €8.65 per hour to €9.15 per hour was recommended earlier this year by the Low Pay Commission.
The increase to the minimum wage is to come into effect from January 2016. It will mean groups finding an extra €1,000 for each full-time employee.
However community groups who are also employers have been advised that no additional funding will be forthcoming to assist with the increased salary costs.
"Thus the immediate impact of this change to the minimum wage is to marginally increase the wages being received while increasing substantially the amount of funding which must be sourced by voluntary committees to meet the new wage bill," said the Glenfinn Area Council in a statement.
"This anxiety with regard to continuity of vital community services and employment is common to all CSP projects in Co. Donegal."
A public meeting for representatives and mangers of CSP groups and public representatives will be held at the Day Centre, Cloghan on Wednesday 16th December at 8pm to highlight and discuss the issue.
"All those concerned within the community/voluntary sector as well as public representatives are to attend," sad the spokesperson.