The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) expressed some apprehension on Tuesday 27 October, the day before the European Commission intends to present a directive to guarantee a decent minimum wage in Europe.
“A Directive on fair wages is a good idea (...) But the question is whether it will actually increase statutory minimum wages and whether it will get more employers to the negotiating table”, asked Deputy Secretary General Esther Lynch. And to launch: “The ETUC will assess if the Directive is strong enough, if it can be improved by MEPs and Ministers, or if it is so weak that it needs to be put in the bin”.
For the Secretary, the Confederation will have no choice but to “vehemently” oppose the proposals if they undermine collective bargaining or in any way prevent increases in minimum wages.
For the trade union organisation, in addition to the protection and promotion of social dialogue between social partners, it is important that “a level of decency” be set, i.e. 60% of the median wage or 50% of the average wage. In addition, trade unions expect special attention to be paid to public procurement.
These requests have been heard by the Commission, according to a provisional version obtained by EUROPE (see EUROPE 12589/1), which lays down serious safeguards with a view to safeguarding the role of the social partners and even promoting them. Interesting point: the Commission has included an article entirely dedicated to public procurement in order to prevent partnerships with companies that do not respect the social dialogue.
“The Commission has kept its promises”, says a European source, who hopes that the European Parliament will defend these proposals well, fearing a very recalcitrant EU Council on this legislative dossier, particularly on the part of some Eastern Member States. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)