The institutions of the European Union reached an agreement this Tuesday morning (7) to pass a law containing guidelines on the implementation of minimum wages in bloc countries.
The initiative is the result of a compromise between the Council of the European Union, a body headed by France, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, and negotiators from the Europarlament.
Future law will not impose an equal minimum wage among all member states, but will set criteria that countries must follow to ensure adequate wages for workers.
“An important step for a social Europe,” said France’s EU presidency. “The new rules will protect the dignity of work,” said Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.
The text still needs approval by the EU Parliament and the plenary assembly of the Council of Europe, the body that brings together the bloc’s heads of state and government.
If passed, the bill requires the minimum wage to be updated at least every two years in countries with a fixed base and every four years in countries with cost-of-living figures.
In addition, the agreement aims to promote collective bargaining with unions participating in the definition of employment contracts for each category. “The new law will increase wages across Europe,” said Agnes Jongerius, MEP and negotiator from the centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group.
Italian Labor Minister Andrea Orlando said the deal opens the possibility of tackling “poor work and giving all workers a living wage” – Italy is one of the EU countries that does not have a statutory minimum wage.
source: Noticias
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