Business leaders in Northern Ireland have given a guarded welcome to the government's proposed minimum wage of £3.60 an hour, although trade unionists and some politicians, who had wanted a basic rate of £4 an hour, have been expressing their disappointment. They are particularly critical of the commission's recommendation that the rate should not apply to workers aged between 16 and 18, and that those between 18 and 21 should only be entitled to a lower rate of £3.20 an hour. In a joint statement, trade unionists Ms Inez McCormack and Ms Nuala Conlon said that the rate, proposed by the Low Pay Commission set up by the Labour government, should apply to everybody, regardless of age.

Ms Carmel Hanna of the SDLP said that the new rate would disappoint low-paid workers, and would do nothing to end the dependency culture.

Sinn Fein chairman Mitchell McLaughlin said that the rate favoured the private sector, and that it would short-change many workers.