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FOR THE FIRST time in 11 years, the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference is meeting today.
The meeting is between both governments and holding it is a requirement under the Good Friday Agreement but what exactly does it do?
Here’s a quick guide.
What’s it about?
The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, let’s call it BIIC for short, is held in part recognition that the Irish government has “a special interest in Northern Ireland”.
The meeting is designed to include the Taoiseach and UK Prime Minister but, if they’re not in attendance, both governments must be represented by “appropriate ministers”.
Leo Varadkar and Theresa May are not in attendance at today’s BIIC, something that has been criticised by some including Fianna Fáil.
Leader Micheál Matin said he was “highly disappointed” that neither would be in attendance “given the scale and importance” of what’s to be discussed.
Ireland’s primary representatives at the meeting are Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan.
The UK government is being represented at the meeting by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley and the Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington.
Under the GFA, the meeting is supposed to be “regular and frequent” so the 11-year delay has been criticised.
Rights
BIIC is supposed to discuss a whole range of things including issues around rights and justice, but among its primary focuses is the review the operations of the Northern Ireland institutions.
At the moment, these institutions are not operating since the collapse of power-sharing 18 months ago. This is therefore likely to dominate this particular meeting.
There have been calls from some quarters, including Sinn Féin, for both governments to take a more direct role in re-establishing the NI Executive. Party leader Mary Lou McDonald TD has said that she is hopeful this meeting can secure progress.
“This is a first step in the governments acting to resolve outstanding issues,” McDonald said yesterday.
The DUP is not enthusiastic about the meeting between both governments, however, describing it as “a talking shop”.
“The British Irish Intergovernmental Conference, has no decision-making power as clearly set out in the Belfast Agreement and will focus solely on non-devolved Northern Ireland matters,” Nigel Dodds MP said ahead of the meeting.
The DUP says that both governments should focus solely on non-devolved issues, i.e. issues that are not under the control of the executive.
Of those that are under the executive’s remit, rights issues surrounding the Irish language have been central to the stalemate between the DUP and several other parties.
It’s likely that the Irish language will be discussed during the BIIC meeting and the London-based branch of Conradh na Gaeilge today presented the British government with an open letter turning them to address the issue.
Of course, the elephant in the room during this particular BIIC meeting is the shadow of Brexit and the ongoing negotiations.
In his comments ahead of the meeting, Micheál Martin criticised the plan for the talk and said there appeared to be an attempt to keep Brexit issues “off the agenda”.
Coveney is certain to be asked about Brexit repeatedly during his time in London but it is unclear whether a joint press conference will be held involving the Irish and British sides.
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Amazes me how we’re told we’re in a recovery, but as soon as the lower paid get an increase, we’re struggling again.
How do people think this is going to be paid for? Clearly the cost of goods and services will increase to all of us, including those on the new minimum wage thus eliminating any benefit people on the increase will achieve. We will become an even more expensive nation.
Government did this simply as a vote buying exercise. If they truly cared about the low paid then they would have lowered the tax due from minimum wage earners instead of forcing price increases on every person in the country.
Stupid economics introduced simply to buy votes. And many people will of course fall for it
Minimum wages have proven to be pretty much useless over the years. Increase of minimum wage means increase in inflation which reduces the value of the wage increase. Guaranteeing living wages as opposed to minimum wages is more sustainable long-term.
True jason. How dare the low payed stick their head up and ask for more. Only the wealthy can do that.
Miguel, people on the minimum wage pay only a little tax as it is. Mostly because there isn’t a whole lot to tax.
I’m on minimum wage and the raise will benifit me more than a tax cut. Traditionally tax cuts benifit those on higher incomes.
And if you think inflation is suddenly going to shoot up because of a small raise at the bottom of the wage scale I thinkyou shouldn’t be calling other economic ideas stupid, you should be cracking open the textbooks.
We pay plenty in VAT and stealth taxes just like everyone else
@Diolúin, how exactly will it benefit you if it causes an equal rise in inflation to match your new wage?
Sean, The point is there won’t be a matching rise in inflation
the minimum wage had remained static since 2007, and in that time (with the exception of 2009 and dive 2014) inflation has be positive, albeit low. the increase reflects this wire well. Burton’s living wage doesn’t seem to be fact based, have a base reference point, or tied to and indicator – it just seems like an arbitrary figure made to tempt minimum wage employees vote for them. thank goodness people are not that thick.
“Almost 2/3 of SMEs will be hiring in 2016 making up to 30,000 jobs” SMEs need help but equally so workers.
SMEs have always been let down by their representation. Any time I hear spokespeople for such groups on-air, I find them wholly unconvincing and can;t help but think they would be far more powerful if unified with someone charismatic and sensible.
Another election stunt delivered just in time to try to score some votes for the regime!
Should read ‘(some)business owners really don’t want to pay a decent wage’
In regards to people on minimum wage paying less tax or being subsidised by Government why should tax payers effectively subsidise business owners who don’t want to pay a proper wage? I’d rather see my tax going to things like infrastructure, hospitals, education etc than propping up a business because they’re too mean to pay a proper wage.
You do need to differentiate between businesses that don’t want to pay versus can’t afford to pay.
Owning a business doesn’t mean you’re automatically flush with cash that you’re squirrelling away for your yacht and foreign villa.
Most people couldn’t afford a rise in cost of one of their utility bills… Ditto a lot of businesses when it comes to a rise in cost of their wages
If your employees need state assistance while working a full week then your business is not paying enough wages. FIS and income support are basically welfare for business.
If you can’t afford to pay your workers enough to live then you shouldn’t be employing people.
It would be preferable to have a ‘Maximum Wage’ for those who are too greedy
They have that. It’s called communism.
Niall , it’s obvious you don’t know what communism is .
Making it illegal to pay less than a given amount does not make a worker’s productivity worth that amount
As much as we like to think each business owner has a valiant moral compass in reality we must legislate so that nobody lives in poverty (although we haven’t achieved that yet either)
If a worker’s productivity can provide for bonuses for management and windfalls for shareholders, surely I should put food on the worker’s table first.
If a worker’s productivity can provide for bonuses for management and windfalls for shareholders, surely It should put food on the worker’s table first.
This does put a huge pressure of SMEs a lot of whom can’t afford these increases. Minimum paid workers should be taxed less rather than paid more and taxed more as is this current government’s mandate.
absolute boloxology if you were paying someone €8.65 an hour in the first place then you’re nothing but a stingy slave laborer, these poor sme’s can always ask their wives to shop in aldi and lidl instead of M&S and ditch the 2nd car.
How many SME’s actually offer their loyal staff a pay rise or to put it another way how many times have the loyal staff got down on a bended knee pleading for a pay rise only to be confronted with the usual lame excuses?.
well done William that is possibly the most uninformed comment I’ve seen on the journal. if u are trolling then good job. if not then you may need to update your knowledge of the SME sector.
Well Hugh are big corporates or supermarket chains the only ones who exploit their staff?, I’m sick of these SME’s poor mouthing. you go into business you take a risk, yes obviously some SME’s will appreciate their staff but others will do their damndest on what they can get away with, ie exploitation, oh lordy an extra 50 cent an hour is going to put these small businesses to the pin of their collar?.
Bottom line you go into business appreciate what the people who are working for you are doing without them you’re nothing, and if you fail well then it was probably not your employees fault but a bad business venture or maybe an economic downturn or whatever?.
Actually if I’m been honest I’d hazard a really good guess that SME’s are the worst culprits when it comes to exploitation of staff, at least with the big boys the exploitation is up front god only knows what some of these SME’s are getting away with away from public scrutiny?.
Any chance you work/have worked for an SME you hated?
No Hugh worked within the hated public sector for donkeys years recently retired and I have a public sector pension that gets me to the Seychelles twice a year and I’m still not 50.
William you are incredibly uninformed about the topic you are so loud about
Uninformed or putting out unpalatable truths thats best left unsaid Carl?, btw I have sons and daughters who might just might have been exploited?.
If you can’t afford to pay, or are not willing to pay staff more than minimum wage. It’s either not a very sucessful business, or you’re a greedy f×cker more interested in profit than looking after the staff that help run that business.
So if you’re not a very successful business that does manage to stay afloat and does manage to employ a few people, albeit at the minimum wage, then we should just screw them, force them to close by increasing their costs and make their employees lose their jobs.
Scraping by, running a business that supports some employment is a success in my book. It may not be Google, but it’s someone that is doing it for themselves
Scraping by because of the recession or a couple of years downturn then fair enuf they should be given every oppurtunity to be successful, but if there only scraping by year in year out then it’s not viable.
So what DMurph. Close the shop and sign on?
If you can’t pay your workers a decent wage your business model has failed.
You’re not cut out for the ownership game.
Sell up, cut your losses and find gainful employment elsewhere (hopefully with minimum wage rates)
A decent wage? What do you define this as?
All these clowns here waffling about business owners shopping in m&s and unsuccessful business models , this country went broke wake up. As someone that runs a small shop, I work over 100 hours a week for my minimum wage, year on year my income is up a few %. I know other businesses that only stayed afloat due to owning thier own premises (no rent) and employing family .
So you admit your income has increased year on year a few % and yet you’re still here complaining about a 50c increase for you lowest paid staff. Pathetic.
In fairness people like Dave aren’t the problem, he’s just making his living. There are publicans out there who are clearing in a normal weeks profit what one of their staff makes in a year. That employee will get no extra compensation for overtime, working antisocial hours or not having any security or predictability week to week what their working hours will be. Meanwhile the owner is laughing all the way to the bank. There are quite a few managers out there who would rather pay two less able staff than pay one good experienced worker what they’re actually worth.
Shane dos you read how many hours he’s working? If you divided his wage by his hours worked what would his hourly rate be.
They weren’t long reducing wages when the rescission hit : not to keen to put them back up !!!
What does that tell you slim? porkies perhaps.
Austerity has been proven to be a scam … Hope you know that ?
Sales and future sales are at the highest in the last 8 years but they cant afford to pay a salary increase of .50 eur an hour???? Please tell that story to someone else!!!
Your right bicho, On the one hand we are been told we are in recovery and on the other they cant afford 50 cent p/h. which is it?. Listening to your one on tv3 this morning saying the sme sector is definitley going to create 30,000 jobs and then hearing they are worried they are going to lose jobs over this 50 cent rise just is mind boggling.
How many SMEs have people from jobbridge on their list of employees?
A living wage should be phased in incrementally for companies that can afford to pay it, ie. Profits and executive salaries should be capped until all employees are paid a living wage. To me that seems like the fairest way to address the current situation of unfairness and working poverty in the country
This is one of your most sensible comments. Those that can afford to pay, should absolutely pay.
There seems to be a widely held belief that all businesses and business owners make huge profits. The fact is, a large percentage don’t.
One of my most sensible comments? Have I got a follower?
Joking aside, theoretically, enforced wage structures would be ideal but I’m sure in practice there would be any number of loopholes and exploits left open to ensure a healthy top heavy bias. A basic living wage for as many as possible is about as much as I dare dream of. I don’t expect that dream to come true any time soon mind, given the entire political history of the state
Just came here to hear the opinion of the successful renown business experts who spend 24/7 on the journal.
If a business can’t afford to pay employees a living wage it is, by definition, unviable.
Ah the minion wage goes up by 50c next they will be looking for respect….
If you are a small business and can’t afford the extra couple of hundreds Euro per month for your 2-3 employees it means that your business is a ticking bomb about to disappear at any moment. One way or another you would go under.
Small point, but for practical purposes it should have kicked in from 4th Jan, hard to split a payroll week (for anything other than small employee numbers)
Most big businesses that give increases (not many left) give it from the exact date an employee starts with them, sometimes it’s even backdated
Also USC changes came in from the 1st of January as do calculations of income tax. The effect of this increase won’t be felt until next week (if paid weekly) the week after (if paid every 2 weeks) or for some not for a long while (monthly pay)
Could we not instead have a county by county (or area-based) minimum wage that reflects the local standard of living? This would help bring back jobs to more rural areas and help ease the housing shortage in Dublin.
They are incorrect
Hold on this government has heaped on a huge amount of taxes on everyone and now they want the SME’s to help pay for it. If everything wasn’t so expensive there wouldn’t need to me a minimum wage. Joan Burtun saying we need a minimum living wage of €11.50. Yeah after FG and her clowns are done with ya you will need it. …
Half of these SME’s are unviable parasitic enterprises that outsource the real cost of labour. They get to employ someone on minimum wage while the employees housing, healthcare, education, pension and so on are outsourced and paid for by the likes of the state, the persons family or the employee themselves.
Daft Economics:
Minimum wage Germany : €8.50 per hour
Minimum wage UK: £6.70 per hour
Minimum wage US: $7.25 per hour
Minimum wage Ireland: €9.50 ….. something fundamentally daft here – €9.50 !!!
If the price goes up the demand goes down …
If the price of an hour of labour (€9.50) goes up then the demand (employment) goes down.
If wages go up so does the cost of everything then including bills…
The problem is profiteering, there is a myth that if you pay a fair days wage for a fair days work, then business is going to suffer, this is a misconception, if people have a disposable income, then they buy, this increases profit margins, whilst also reducing unemployment, check out Harry S Trumans presidency of the US, this idea was taken in hand and proved to be hugely successful
Also it could profits and bonuses at risk
In 1934, FDR introduced a minimum wage in depression struck America, this dod not damage the already ruined economy, in 1948? Harry S Truman increased it substantually despite the protests from businessess, America boomed, the exact same arguments were used then as are used now and proved to be false.
The recent budget included the welcome announcement of the increase in hourly minimum wage to €9.15 from January 1, 2016. However it also has to be acknowledged that it does have implications that are causing concerns for Community Services Programmes (CSP) funded by the Department of Social Protection.
The specific concern of the CSP projects relates to the decision of the Department of Social Protection not to increase its funding grant to CSP projects to meet the increased wage costs as a result of the minimum wage increase. This will put these projects in an extremely difficult financial position and is likely to result in a reduction of services and in the number of people directly employed by companies. There are some 400 CSP projects operated by community companies throughout the country involved in a wide range of activities such as: Accessible Transport; Care for the Aged; People with Disabilities; Meals on Wheels; Befriending; Community Development; Childcare; Local Arts & Heritage, Community Centres; Community Radio; Training Centres and Community Enterprises.
Many CSP’s have succeeded in creating extra jobs and have taken on staff that are directly employed by the Companies concerned. We do not have the income capacity to continue to pay these staff (non CSP) while at the same time paying for the increase in minimum rate. The non-CSP positions are now in jeopardy as companies will struggle to earn sufficient income to cover the costs of their employment. We are now in a situation where we have to “rob Peter to pay Paul”.
I maybe wrong but didnt the govt give them relief thru employers PRSI to compensate for increase in min wage…also if you introduce a living wage aren’t prices also going to rise and eliminate any benefits…basic economics i thought…
That will put many small businesses out of work even after surviving austerity and all those higher new taxes. It will not effect those businesses that donate to election parties?
A €9.15 an hour and before long, there will be strikes with workers looking for more.
have your say