BRUSSELS —
EU ministers on Monday agreed measures to better protect wage levels in Europe and
give workers more power to oppose low pay.
اضافة اعلان
While the proposal does not set an EU-wide
minimum wage, once confirmed it would mark a significant step in promoting the
European social model, especially in eastern European countries where salaries
are low.
The 27 member states are historically
divided on the issue because national pay systems and minimum wages vary
widely, from 312 euros ($352) a month in Bulgaria to 2,142 euros ($2,419) in
Luxembourg, according to figures published last year.
Some Nordic countries are especially against
any change to their collective bargaining system in which companies negotiate
pay directly with powerful unions, without state intervention.
"Work should pay," said Slovenian
labor minister
Janez Cigler Kralj, whose country holds the EU's six-month
rotating presidency.
"We cannot accept that people who put
all their energy in their job still live in poverty and cannot afford a decent
standard of living," he added.
In the plan, countries without collective
bargaining systems, which typically deliver better wage conditions for workers,
are urged to implement them.
Countries with minimum wage systems are
tasked to ensure that pay levels are updated in a regular and fair manner.
An EU source said the compromise agreed was
fragile and that negotiators will be under pressure to not give ground to the
European Parliament, which passed its own version of the law last month.
France takes over the EU presidency on
January 1 and has made forging a compromise between both versions of the plan a
priority of its six-month term.
Read more Business
.jpg)
.jpg)
