The European Commission gave on this Tuesday, the first step to set a minimum wage community by launching the query mandatory to the social partners that set the treated. Brussels hopes that by early summer there will be closed all processes prior to the drafting of a legal proposal to submit to the European Parliament. “There's something in terms of wages, in general, and in relation to the minimum, in particular,” said the european commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit.

The Executive Ursula von der Leyen approved yesterday in Strasbourg the document query to try to straighten out the “challenge of ensuring minimum wages are fair for the workers of the Union.” This would not be, according to the text, trying to harmonize salaries and respect “national traditions, the autonomy of the agents soeciales and the freedom of collective bargaining”. That reference is especially important for the nordic countries, most of which lack minimum wage and are wary of the plans of Brussels. In total, 22 countries of the EU have a minimum wage, while the other six set through collective bargaining.

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Brussels take the first step towards a minimum wage in europe The Government is seeking an agreement on the minimum wage with trade unions and employers as the initial message

To the Commission, the minimum wage is the first step on a path to strengthen the social pillar that aims to accelerate during this year with a battery of measures, ranging from an update of the funds for youth employment to unemployment insurance community.

Protection to employees

The document recalls that in the recent decades, “the situation of workers with low wages has declined and wage inequalities have increased”. And this is of concern when the lower class is growing —or the average shrinks— and the poverty among citizens with employment growing and affects almost one of every ten europeans, according to the European Commission.

Brussels considers that “minimum wages protect” those workers with low wages and little bargaining power. And in countries such as Portugal or Romania, covering up to 20% of the workers. Now, he wants to know if the social partners think the same way.

Schmit pointed out that the social partners will have a month to respond to questions from the Commission. From there, Brussels must develop a “more precise” that will pick up ideas thrown in that round. And, in a second phase, will articulate a proposal that will go to the rest of the institutions.

Date Of Update: 15 January 2020, 04:00