The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Kathleen Lynch, has given her full support to the increase of the national minimum wage saying that the proposed increase is reasonable.
Ms Lynch also said that she hopes the increase will be introduced before the next General Election.
The news comes after the Low Pay Commission have reportedly agreed to recommend a rise of 50c per hour to the minimum wage, which will bring the national wage to €9.15 per hour.
However the move has not been welcomed by employers and businesses as they have come out in protest against the proposal, saying the small increase would lead to cuts in hours and job losses. Meanwhile the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) also slammed the proposal saying the move would lead to workers having a false wage expectation.
It is understood that the Low Pay Commission will issue a report outlining the proposed increases on Tuesday.