Minimum wages: von der Leyen (EU Commission), “new rules will protect the dignity of work”

(Strasbourg) “The EU has kept its promise. The new rules on minimum wages will protect the dignity of work and will make work profitable. All this in full respect of the national traditions and the independence of the trade unions”. This is how the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, commented the agreement reached in the night by the European Parliament and the member states of the EU on the directive on adequate minimum wages, as proposed by the EU Commission in October 2020. The directive sets the framework for the adequacy of statutory minimum wages, while promoting collective bargaining for the establishment of wages and improving the workers’ actual access to the protection of minimum wages in the EU. According to the European Commission, “adequate minimum wages are important to strengthen social equity and support a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery. Better working and living conditions also benefit the companies, society and economy in general, by increasing productivity and competitiveness”. According to Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for People, “this framework for minimum wages is a key step towards protecting workers all over our Union, in full respect of the national traditions and the independence of the trade unions”. “With the impact of the Russian war in Ukraine – he added –, it is essential to protect low-income workers. Minimum wages should ensure a decent standard of living, while promoting innovation and productivity as well”.
Valentina Bombelli