Today, the European Parliament adopted the Directive on adequate minimum wages with an overwhelming majority: 505 MEPs in favour, 92 against and 44 abstentions, taking an important step towards increased workers’ rights.
The provisional text includes the promotion of collective bargaining and requires Member States to put in place measures to promote capacity building and prevent union busting, in particular:
- Member States with a collective bargaining coverage below 80% should provide a
framework of enabling conditions for collective bargaining and establish an action plan to progressively increase the collective bargaining coverage rate. - The text also introduces measures to push statutory minimum wages upwards recognising the ETUC threshold of decency (60% of the median wage and 50% of the average) as a (non-binding) criteria for setting adequate statutory minimum wages, including purchasing power and the cost of living;
- Social partners will have the right to be consulted on the setting of statutory minimum wages
- Economic operators receiving public money through procurement contracts will have to respect the right to organise and bargain collectively both in the awarding and the performance of the public contract in line with ILO Conventions 87 and 98.
Kristjan Bragason on today’s vote:
The current cost of living crisis is hammering European households. Workers are paying the highest price and struggling to make ends meet. Increasing statutory minimum wages, promoting collective bargaining, and recognising the essential role of trade unions, is giving a new hope for the millions of new workers getting a minimum wage and employed in EFFAT sectors in Europe’.
EFFAT now urges the Council to move towards the prompt approval of the Directive.
Ends
