ETUC criticises recommendations on wages

The European Commission issued is country specific recommendations on 2 June with 11 countries being urged to reform their wage setting, minimum wage or collective bargaining system in some way. In a statement from its collective bargaining committee the ETUC has again called on the Commission to recognise the important role that wages play in the economy and, particularly in the current climate, to acknowledge that a boost in wages across Europe would contribute to an economic recovery and reduce the threat of deflation. [Read more at > ETUC (EN)->http://www.etuc.org/statement-etuc-collective

The ETUC organised a summer school for its collective bargaining committee in Florence on 10-11 June where participants agreed a statement urging the European Council not to adopt any of the European Commission's country-specific recommendations on wages. The meeting agreed that the Commission's approach continues to be to repress wage developments despite the risk of deflation and continuing recession and with no regard for the impact on living standards and equality. The meeting also discussed proposals for how the ETUC could coordinate around the European Semester. [Read more at > EPSU-

The ETUC has written to Council and Commission presidents Van Rompuy and Barroso to protest over EU calls for a cut in the minimum wage. The current minimum wage is €599,73, lower than the at risk-of poverty threshold. ETUC general secretary Bernadette Ségol said: “What does the EU hope to achieve by bringing down minimum wages in Slovenia? This step would, inevitably, lead to an increase in the number of working poor in this country. These types of measures are unfair and ineffective and only increase the distance between the EU and its citizens; they do not restore growth; they do not