Groups secure funds to cover increase in minimum wage
TEN community groups across the county are to benefit from over €50,000 in Government funding which will enable them to pay staff the increased minimum wage.
Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring announced last week that he has approved funding of over €1 million to continue the Community Services Programme (CSP) Support Fund. The CSP Support Fund will enable community organisations participating in the SP to pay their staff the newly increased minimum wage, which rose to €9.80 per hour effective from this month.
Nationally, 263 organisations and over 980 full-time equivalent staff will benefit from the support fund.
In Wicklow, a total of €51,425 is to be shared between ten groups, namely Avoca Community Hall Co Company (€2,200), Easi Access Transport Company (€14,575), Glencree Visitors Centre Company (€5,500), Glendalough & District Development Association Company (€5,500), Glenealy Village Hall (Carnegie Trust) Company (€2,200), Lakers Social And Recreation Club Company (€3,300), Living Life Voluntary Counselling Centre Company (€6,050), Old Coolattin Country Company (€4,400), Shuttle Knit Company (€6,600) and Tinahely Courthouse Company (€1,100).
The CSP supports community-based organisations providing local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model and provides a contribution towards the cost of staff in CSP-supported organisations. It typically supports organisations to meet local service gaps and provide access to services and facilities that would otherwise generally be unavailable.
Minister Ring said the support fund will be a big help to organisations struggling to meet the new minimum wage - organisations he said were carrying out ‘invaluable work’ in their communities.
‘I’m delighted that the Government has decided to increase the national minimum wage once again. This fund will support 263 organisations to ensure that their staff receive the new increased minimum wage. This is an increase of over 100 organisations from the 2016 levels,’ said Minister Ring.
Minister Simon Harris has welcomed the extra funding and said the groups that are benefitting provide ‘vital social and environmental services’ to the people of Wicklow.
‘From my experience working with Co Wicklow communities, I know that the support of the Community Services Scheme has been hugely helpful in recent years. The Easi Access Transport (Easi-Cab) have secured €14,575 from the Department of Community and Rural Affairs which will be very welcome after a difficult time for the organisation,’ said Minister Harris.
‘Access to the Community Services Programme has been key to the running of these organisations so I will continue to work to ensure this support remains in place.’
The CSP Support Fund is being run on a once-off basis in 2019 pending a review which will commence in February. The review will inform decisions on the future shape and structure of the programme.