European Commission publishes proposal for an EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages
On 28 October, the European Commission published a proposal for an EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages in the EU.
The aim of the proposed Directive is to ensure that all workers in the EU (or at least all those with an employment contract/relationship defined by law) are protected by adequate minimum wages to allow for a decent standard of living.
The proposal for a legally binding framework on minimum wages was a priority for European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen when she took office in 2019. In her 2020 State of the Union speech she said: ‘The truth is that for too many people, work no longer pays. Dumping wages destroys the dignity of work, penalises the entrepreneur who pays decent wages and distorts fair competition in the Single Market. (..) Everyone must have access to minimum wages either through collective agreements or through statutory minimum wages.’
Social Platform has long been advocating for setting minimum wages at an adequate level to define situations under which no employment relationship should be deemed acceptable. The proposed directive is a welcome step towards improving people’s living and working conditions in the EU and of great importance for the implementation of principle 6 of the European Pillar of Social Rights.
