Monday, December 6th, 2021
“Work should pay off”
EU countries want fairer minimum wages
In future, minimum wages in the EU are to be set according to “stable and clear” criteria so that people who “put energy into their jobs” do not have to live in poverty. In Germany, the traffic light has already announced an increase in the minimum wage.
The EU countries have agreed on their position for negotiations on a fair minimum wage in the European Union. In the future, statutory minimum wages are to be determined on the basis of “more stable and clear” criteria, as communicated by the EU states. These include the purchasing power of statutory minimum wages, general wage levels and wage growth.
“Work should pay off,” emphasized the Slovenian Labor Minister Janez Cigler Kralj, whose country will chair the member states until the end of the year. It is unacceptable that “people who put all their energy into their job still live in poverty and cannot afford a decent standard of living”
With the agreement, the way is now free for negotiations on a final settlement with the European Parliament, which had already agreed on its position. Northern European countries in particular are critical of the influence of Brussels on their social policy. According to the information, Hungary and Denmark positioned themselves against the recently adopted agreement of the EU countries. Austria abstained, as did Germany, because the federal government was only in office, said EU Labor Commissioner Nicolas Schmit. The decision did not have to be made unanimously.
A minimum wage of 12 euros is coming
In contrast to the position of the EU countries, the agreement reached by the EU Parliament contains specific figures. The plans provide as guidelines that low-wage earners receive at least 50 percent of the average wage or 60 percent of the so-called median wage in the respective country.
The EU countries also want to campaign for national action plans to be developed if less than 70 percent of wages are achieved through collective bargaining. In its position, Parliament advocates a collective bargaining agreement of 80 percent. EU Labor Commissioner Nicolas Schmit was confident that an agreement would be found in the negotiations between parliament and countries in the “very near future”.
In Germany, the Ampel Coalition has already announced that it intends to raise the minimum wage from the current EUR 9.60 to EUR 12 per hour. Around ten million people should benefit from this, especially women and employees in eastern Germany.