European Commission view of wages challenged

On 29 April the ETUC submitted a document to European employment ministers who gathered in Athens for the Employment and Social Policy Council (EPSCO). The report analysed trends in wages, challenging the arguments from the European Commission and European Central Bank that so-called excessive wage increases had contributed to imbalances in the European economy. The ETUC's figures indicate, on the contrary, that over significant periods wages have not kept up with productivity growth. A further briefing, published by EPSU, also shows how wage growth has been outpace by increasing profits - an

The Kommunal municipal trade union has criticized the National Mediation Office for its narrow view of the scope for pay bargaining and failure to acknowledge the need for action to close the gender pay gap. The union agrees that wage developments should take into account the pressures facing the manufacturing and export industries but that there has to be scope for some flexibility otherwise the lower paying sectors that are dominated by women workers will never catch up with other sectors and the gender pay gap will never be closed. [Read more at > Kommunal (SV)->http://www.kommunal.se

None of the five Nordic countries - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden - have a statutory minimum wage. High levels of collective bargaining coverage mean that workers are protected by the minimum wages set in collective agreements. In most cases minimum wages are between 50% and 70% of the average national wage and most workers on the lowest rates would benefit from additional payments. The report provides a very useful overview of minimum wage systems across Europe and summarises the main arguments of the Nordic unions against the introduction of legal minimum wages in their