A soup kitchen charity has called for an increase in the national minimum wage after seeing people with jobs turning to it for help, writes Eoin English.

Cork charity Penny Dinners, which dishes out up to 2,000 meals a week to the city’s needy, said it has seen struggling workers in the retail, building, and legal sectors come through its doors seeking a free meal in the last 12 months.

“Two years ago, we used to see people we didn’t know coming through our doors,” said spokeswoman Catriona Twomey.

“But now we’re seeing people we all know, people we knew growing up, people from our neighbourhoods, people who were always alright, financially, but who are now really struggling.”

She said one retail worker is on 30 hours a week — putting him just beyond the threshold for housing assistance payments. And she said when he pays rent, there is little left in his pay packet to survive.

“They can’t pay the rent, they can’t pay the mortgage, they can’t buy fuel — things like that and it’s getting on top of everybody.

“Can you imagine someone that’s been out working 39 hours a week and not being able to open their fridge or cupboard and have any food in it to eat?”

Her call to increase the minimum wage came as CSO figures showed just over 10% of those participating in the Quarterly National Household Survey earned the minimum wage or less — increased last January by 10c — from €9.15 an hour to €9.25 an hour.

Worker’s Party Cork city councillor, Ted Tynan, said the figures showed many employers are treating the minimum wage as a “standard rate” — particularly in relation to young workers.

This article first appeared in the Irish Examiner.