Nearly two-thirds of retail workers are earning below €451 per week.
And just one in five get more than the weekly Living Wage.
There are now calls for the law to be changed to enable workers to do more than their contract entitles them to, so they can get a decent pay packet.
Gerry Light, Mandate General Secretary, says its all about weekly earnings.
"For many retail workers the reality is they just can't get enough working hours, so they can't access a decent income, so it's all about weekly earnings.
"That's why we're calling in the research for legislation, particularly the Miscellaneous Provisions Act, for that to be now changed so that workers who want to work extra hours can now do so when the hours become available."
