On 28 October the EU Commission made a proposal for an EU Directive to ensure that workers in the European Union are protected by adequate minimum wages, allowing for a decent living wherever they work.
How can the proposal secure better wages and working conditions in the EU?
The proposal will contribute to better living and working conditions in the Union in three ways:
What does the Directive ask Member States to do?
The Directive proposes a combination of policy measures to improve minimum wage adequacy and increase access to minimum wage protection. Some measures apply only to those countries with statutory minimum wage setting systems and others to all Member States.
All Member States will be asked to:
Member States with statutory minimum wages will be additionally asked to:
Is the EU harmonising the level of minimum wages across the EU?
The proposal does not seek to harmonise the level of minimum wages across the EU, nor to establish a uniform mechanism for setting minimum wages in the Member States. Minimum wage protection will continue to be provided through collective agreements or through legal provisions, according to national traditions and with full respect for national competences and social partners' autonomy.
What are the next steps?
The Commission's proposal will go to the European Parliament and the Council for approval. Once adopted, Member States will have two years have to transpose the Directive into national law and communicate the relevant texts to the Commission.
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