Employers against the adequate minimum wages in the EU

The Employers' Group in the European Economic and Social Committee massively voted against the EESC opinion on the European Commission's proposal on "adequate minimum wages in the European Union" and tabled a counter-opinion, which will be appended to the EESC opinion as it has collected more than a third of the votes. The counter-opinion was also supported by Mrs Jana Hartman Radová and Mr David Sventek who represent the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic in the EESC.

Employers question the legal basis of the Commission's proposal. There are divergent views within the EESC on whether any EU legal initiative under Article 153, especially a directive, would be legitimate. Among the key concerns is the one that the EU has no competence to act on "pay", including pay levels, and that such action could interfere with the social partners' autonomy.

„Among other things, employers question the legal basis and stress that the area of minimum wages is the sole responsibility of the Member States and that the European Commission should consider choosing a non-binding recommendation instead of a directive. This would provide the necessary flexibility for the Member States while respecting their wage-setting systems and the autonomy of the social partners,“ confirmed Employers´ Group Member, Jana Hartman Radová.

"We are in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic-led crisis and we don't need a directive on minimum wage which risks undermining collective bargaining and adding up complexities to the recovery and reconstruction of our economy," said Employers' Group President, Stefano Mallia.

You can find the counter-opinion here.