Minimum Wage Directive: MEPs speak of a positive step, but with limited impact in Portugal
The new European Union payments agency does not expect any more wage earthquakes, but in Portugal it does not expect any earthquakes
“This directive will have a reduced impact in Portugal, where we already have a national minimum wage”, PSD MEP José Manuel Fernandes tells Expresso. Socialist Manuel Pizarro also does not expect big changes, but he believes that he will at least avoid that if and backwards.
“In our country it has increased, in which the national minimum wage has increased by 40% since 2015, from 505 to 705 euros, it may not represent any immediate increase in this value. A value like what happened between 2011 and 2015”, he says.
The PCP, on the other hand, doubts the socialist question and fears that the new social analysis will provoke exactly the opposite. “It is an instrument that, for something, can contribute to an evolution of the evolution of models with Portuguese resources, particularly in labor markets as characteristics of Portuguese.
The new directive will be established to guarantee – in each country – a fairer minimum payout. For example, national purchasing power, the cost of growth in growth years or productivity must be taken into account. In Portugal, the salary is confirmed with the fair minimum now, which justifies that the new legislation does not cause large increases.
But if for the PSD and PS they did not judge the Portuguese model, “they can for the establishment of the stagnation of the National Minimum Wage”, since it already “is today above our references”. Communists will be considered critical, considering that “the goal is considered” that “it will not even correspond to an incentive”, being pulled down those who are most proposed and aligning them with longer proposed values that do not guarantee decent conditions.
In other words, the determination of the high values will be during the promotion of the national minimum wage of 850 euros, as defended by the PCP.
PS, PSD and BE come positive step
In another political quadrant, Manuel Pizarro counters that the agreement of determination “represents an extraordinary in favor of Social Europe”, reinforcing “the protection of the work of Social Europe” and increasing the protection of workers’ work.
On the side of the PSD, José Manuel Fernandes considers that the “approval of the directive is a positive step”, as he intends “that each will work with a decent wage and that social dumping is avoided”. José, from Bloco de Equerda, also sees companies as an important and positive sign in the intention, but he has doubts that it will prevent unfair competition practices, in which companies take advantage of low investors that prevent the States to reduce costs. “There is nothing that has the force of law and that prevents wage dumping policies in the European Union”, he counters.
What the blocist deputy is less reactive is to serve for Portugal and other member states than he expects the Comissãodi to have in the sense of containment”. And instead of looking at the minimum, he looks at the average salary in the fight against precariousness and leaves criticism of the government.
“The precariousness of work and the collective bargaining project in Portugal are the obstacle, in terms of the highest law, to salary increases. In this area, the main responsibility lies with the government, which chose to maintain the Troika and Passos Coelho Government.
On the right, José Manuel Fernandes says that it still depends on the most “competitive, innovative and productive” Portuguese people to make good use of “available European instruments”, such as the Recovery Fund and other European funds.
Directive does not reach the time of current inflation
The new directive whose agreement between the Member States (EU Council) and the European Parliament must be approved by the institution, still in agreement with two institutions. Then transposed to another two years.
At a time when there are no cuts in which the Commission can make a difference, but it can recognize that the purchase proposal still does not make a difference to us.
“In the current context, of strong inflation, it is important that the lower models are not a victim of these inflationary cases”, this Tuesday Nicolas Schmit. The Commissioner in charge of employment and social rights “believes that there is a signal that is being given” to companies, even “that legally there is not yet an impact” of the directive.
The directive has been hotly contested in Nordic countries like Denmark and Sweden. In fact, Stockholm continues to be against it. Defend the collective bargaining model and argue, having the figure of a legal minimum wage, they have more equal EU inequalities and equal minimum wages.
The final agreement turns out to be the most critical. Member States do not allow Member States to set a level for the mandatory minimum across the EU.
On the contrary, to the Nordic model to “promote collective bargaining in matters and, on the contrary, to go to the Nordic model”. In addition, “the directive requires Member States where the presentation of collective bargaining is less than 80% to establish an action plan to promote it”, reads the statement of the agreement.
The now unreliable agreement no longer has a historical side since the Union has no competence in labor matters. What practitioners and policy partners can exercise. In practice, it will continue to be the Member States and their Governments who will define the permitted practices.