WAGES IN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY

That this House notes that, while there are many areas of low paid employment within the textile industry, the firm of Coats Viyella is one of the few where wage bargaining has taken wage levels well above those proposed by the Labour Party as a national minimum wage, i.e. ú3. 40 per hour; and expresses surprise, therefore, that Coats Viyella should claim that a national minimum wage would cost jobs, especially as a minimum wage provision has in no way deterred the company from operating in countries such as France where strong minimum wage legislation prevails.