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IKEA WILL BRING in a living wage for its entire Irish staff from next year as part of plans to offer “meaningful” pay to all workers.
The Swedish flat-pack furniture chain, which operates a single Irish outlet at Ballymun in Dublin, will start setting pay cheques based on the cost of living for employees in both the Republic and the UK.
Ikea UK and Ireland HR manager Pernille Hagild said that as a “values-driven organisation” the chain believed in “providing a meaningful wage to our co-workers that supports the cost of living no matter where they live”.
“We are committed to paying the living wage to our co-workers in Ireland by April 2016,” she said.
Over coming months we will work together with the relevant organisations and authorities in Ireland to secure this in the right way in the Irish market.”
It comes as the government weighs lifting the national minimum wage from €8.65 per hour after a likely recommendation from the new Low Pay Commission that the rate be increased 50c.
Business groups have complained that a rise will risk the economy’s “fragile” recovery, while unions say the proposed rise doesn’t go far enough. Ikea already pays above the minimum wage in Ireland with rates its hourly rates starting from €9.77.
The living wage
A consortium of unions and other campaigners have put the living wage for Ireland at €11.50 per hour, although it’s not yet known on what basis Ikea will calculate its rate.
However in the UK, where it became the first major retailer to commit to paying a living wage, it has said it would pay all 9,000 staff at least £7.85 (€11.28) per hour.
Ikea said the rate for London would be £9.15 (€13.14) per hour to cover the higher cost of living.
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You have to be impressed by this! Well done IKEA
Never knew they paid so well already, puts dunnes, tesco and the like to shame
Maith sibh, IKEA!
The way to go.
A responsible and sympathetic company.
It’s great to see it, this will be fantastic news to the staff employed here. Always give you hope when big business make a moral decision rather than a purely economic one
Well, thats my decision made on where my money will be going for the new TV unit. Might even treat myself to some Köttbullar
Nicely done IKEA!
Following the old populist mantra as always jammin.
How soon you forget that the shinners never wanted them here in the first place. A fool is easily swayed by a cheap TV stand. Good man Jammin
oh give it a rest please , there is always someone who will bring a political party into an article .
There is nothing wrong with highlighting shinners objected to Ikea operating in Ireland. I’ve provided the link.
It’s comical now that they jump all over them and stay they will buy TV units off them just because they bring in a living wage.
The shinners proud populist bandwagon hunters
Is the idea of governmental parties getting elected not to do what is populist or by the will of the people. Is that not how democracy works?
Funny sort of Shinner thats voting PBP in the next election, baz, no?
Populist is still populist jamming. People before profit do not realise that ikea and all business need to make a profit to put their people first.
Shinners have more egg than face.
You know you’re all f**cking losers right?
Wow, I really feel like an a-hole. I have been criticizing Ikea with their useless cheap quality crap with few exceptions IMO, but I applaud their initiative. I might pay them a visit since I need a new floor matt
If you think IKEA furniture is crap, you’ve never bought from Argos or Woodies or Bargaintown. IKEA furniture is vastly superior.
Superior crap is still crap.
Well done IKEA. Hopefully more will follow suit.
Brilliant! If only others would follow suit
If only the government would follow suit.
How generous if them
Hardly news. The company I work for pays exceptionally well but require high skill levels. Upskill; get paid more. Not rocket science.
If everyone took your advice, wages would stagnate. Also an economy can’t function without unskilled workers. Fairy tale stuff Tom
Easier said than done for a lot of people. Your holier-than-thou attitude doesn’t help
@Tom, you have just shown exactly the similarity commentator’s on this site have with IKEA, one screw goes loose and the whole fecking thing falls apart!!
@Tom – I dunno, if IKEA staff have to deal with customers of your attitude then I’d wager they’re as good at their job as you allegedly are at yours………….
Obviously Tom is at the bottom of the skill level cause it seems that if he had brains he would be dangerous
There you have it a nutshell. The pretentious, pompous side of FG shining through. If you were not fortunate to have a good start in life, or have the educational breaks that this poster may have had, then you are unworthy of benefiting from this so called recovery. Really showing your contempt for those less fortunate than you, arrogant pr@ck!!
Thanks Jimmy. Been working since I was 12. But I’m sure you think I’m from privilege so there’s nothing I can say to convince you.
People seem angry at being told the truth. And they then blame everybody else when they vote for Bertienomics…:)
@ Tom:- If your type had their way everyone would be working from age 12, on jobsbridge preferably.
It’s no wonder FG have never been returned to power, they cannot help but show their true colours, governing for the minority and gambling that the majority won’t vote. I made the mistake of voting for them in the last election, I will not repeat that mistake!!!
I should mention that we took on new 60 people last month at entry level positions…on entry level pay. The good ones will rise. Such is life.
I pointed out the fundamental flaw in your thinking, yet you still think you’re the cream that rose to the top. Interesting..
There’s a huge mistake in the article. You said they operate a single Irish store in ballymun. Did you forgot about their other store in Belfast?
Eamonn you’re being silly now .
Not the first time they’ve made that mistake.
but it has only one Irish store , the other one is not an Irish store ?
In what sense ‘Suzie’?
it has one only Irish run store though so the article is correct , the other store is not Irish run .
Of course it’s not Irish run, it’s a Swedish company. It is however in Ireland, something The Journal seems unwilling to acknowledge.
Padraig , the journal is correct , it operates a single Irish store . the other one is not an Irish store is it ?
If it’s not Irish then what is it Suzie?
Padraig , you know you’re being silly now
C’mon the Swedes – beacons of social conscience in a naughty world! They are preparing to do this now?:-|
Good on them. There are plenty of big and medium sized companies who can afford to.give their employees a living wage of €11.50. It is an expense that can be written off against profits . The smaller the profits the less corporation tax they pay !. Win Win
No union recognition. No collevtive bargaining. Individual contracts only. David/Goliath. Don’t believe the hype(erstore)…
Not everyone needs an union, companies like Google and other hight tech don’t offer collectives agreemend and they have no unions but the employees are happy because in exchange they get paid really well and get good working conditions to make sure there are no unions.
Just like Ryanair or Dunne’s or most of the private healthcare facilities our government is trying to drive us into.
unions are only required when staff need an improvement in working conditions. when everything’s solves there’s really little to no need for them. I say this as a socialist
@Juan Venegas. You would really want to sit down and do some actual thinking one of these days, friend. EVERY, and I mean EVERY worker protection currently enjoyed by you, by me, and by everybody else was won by Unions. Holiday pay, sick pay., limitations on hours, rates of pay, rates of pay were not suddenly granted by bountiful employers. The fact that some modern Union leaders have become part of the establishment is neither here nor there. The fact is that even in Germany, that huge hub of industrial mighjt, the hard-won terms and conditions secured by unions are now under attack and in 2015 we are reverting to the “hiring fairs” of the eighteenth century. Try and inform yourself, for chrissakes.
Nick Hanauer: Beware, fellow plutocrats, the pitchforks are coming #TED : http://on.ted.com/b0u23
Something for the trade unions to ponder a living wage makes economic sence it means everyone becomes a customer
Dear Journal, Ikea has 2 outlets in Ireland, one in Dublin and one in Belfast.
To those who red-thumbed, you should be ashamed of yourselves.
I was never a fan of IKEA, but after this news, I will definitely pay them a visit. This seems like everybody wins. (employees will be happier, more purchasing power, great publicity . . )
The McDonald’s of furniture.
Snob.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-20356945
All’s forgiven Ikea. Good on yis.
Well done on driving up the wage costs for every other employer, good thing we have 100% employment
What’s the catch, please ?
It should have been included in the bag of screws and bolts and the impossibly small Allen Key supplied with your pack.
I’ll get me coat.
Jeg kan godt lide IKEA! I hope the New Political party the Social Democrats implement Scandinavian style working conditions in Ireland – we are highly abused in Ireland compared to Scandinavia – worked there twice- Brilliant pay and working conditions and great time off- we are treated like slaves in Ireland by comparison!
This is the type of fairness and morality the Social Democrats are aiming for; and it’s very admirable. A Nordic company that deserves all the success it enjoys.
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