{"id":26775,"date":"2025-01-17T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T08:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/news\/uni-europa-to-cjeu-uphold-the-eu-minimum-wage-directive\/"},"modified":"2025-01-16T17:23:47","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T16:23:47","slug":"uni-europa-to-cjeu-uphold-the-eu-minimum-wage-directive","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/news\/uni-europa-to-cjeu-uphold-the-eu-minimum-wage-directive\/","title":{"rendered":"UNI Europa to CJEU: Uphold the EU Minimum Wage Directive"},"content":{"rendered":"
UNI Europa, the European trade union federation representing over 7 million service workers across Europe, expresses its deep concern at the recent opinion of the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). He proposes the annulment of the entire EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages<\/strong> after a case was brought forward by two member states [Case C-19\/23]. Adopted in 2022, the directive has been crucial for promoting fair wages and strengthening collective bargaining, especially in the services sectors.<\/p>\r\n The advocate general\u2019s recommendations are stark.<\/strong> Effectively, he proposes to reduce the EU\u2019s ability to promote fair pay and collective bargaining. They remain matters only for national legislation which, in turn, is subject to the EU\u2019s neoliberal single market rules. If followed by the court, the case threatens to have a similar chill effect on pro-worker political action as the Viking judgement almost two decades ago, which massively undermined collective bargaining and pro-EU sentiment.<\/p>\r\n His opinion, even before any ruling, threatens to kill the positive political dynamic that the directive has created with its 80 per cent target for collective bargaining coverage. Since its approval, the directive has empowered workers and their unions across Europe<\/strong>, in particular throughout Central and Eastern Europe as well as Ireland.<\/p>\r\n The advocate general\u2019s argument is particularly sour given that EU policies and directives over the past decades have contributed to the erosion \u2013 or often direct destruction \u2013 of collective bargaining structures in various member states. Instead, collective bargaining should be treated as a cornerstone of ensuring fair wages and decent working conditions. In the services sectors in particular, workers face particular challenges to collective bargaining<\/strong> \u2013 not least due to dispersed employment, precarious conditions and companies\u2019 low-cost strategies.<\/p>\r\n