The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is calling for a quicker rollout of the national living wage. It says the national minimum wage should increase by two euro from next January, with a similar rise the following year.
The union says previous government changes to the tax system have benefited middle and high-income earners. Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, says the cost-of-living crisis is affecting Ireland's youth in particular.
"The State has failed young workers," he said. "Those young workers have been shut out of the housing market, the rental market and they really need to be given a break.
"And we know that many employers will say, ‘This will damage the economy and it will lead to job losses’ - but we’ve heard those calls before."
