The European Trade Union Confederation has stated that Member States are delaying the implementation of Community legislation aimed at guaranteeing a living wage for Community workers.
There are just a few weeks left to exhaust a key legislative deadline and up to seven countries in the European Union they haven’t even started legislating on the new regulations regarding the minimum wage, according to a new study by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
The new EU laws, agreed in June 2022 in the wake of the rising cost of living, must be incorporated into national laws to come into force. However, nor France, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania or Malta have begun to do so, according to the ETUC. “Workers have already waited two years for this directive to be implemented and they should not have to wait any longer,” said Tea Jarc, confederal secretary of the ETUC. “Most national governments should stop dragging their feet and finally turn these promises into reality,” he added.
The ETUC states that this directive could benefit some 20 million workersbut consider that It has only been implemented correctly in some countries.
When lawmakers and governments approved the new rules in June 2022, the European Commissioner Nicolas Schmit applauded them, stating that they “will help ensure that minimum wage workers can afford a decent life” at a time of heightened concern about the cost of living. However, They faced opposition from Denmark and Swedenwhere collective bargaining is widespread but there is no minimum wage, and from companies, which feared additional costs.
Gross minimum wages in the EU vary greatly, from 477 euros per month in Bulgaria to 2,571 euros in Luxembourg.
The regulations do not oblige countries to set minimum wages, but those that do They must ensure that they have a robust method for determining and updating them. For example, taking as reference the purchasing power of its population.
The European Commission is responsible for enforcing EU law and can take governments that do not take the necessary measures to courtalthough that normally only happens once the deadline has passed, in this case November 15. In some cases, such as Germany, the Government has argued that it does not need to take action because current laws already comply with community standards.
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