The German EL Executive Board members stressed that in accordance with the European Social Charter such a minimum wage should amount at least to 50 % of the average wage of the respective country.
The EL board stressed that the proposal on a European minimum wage should be specified at the meeting of the EL trade unions’ network taking place on 1-3 February in Vienna. In 20 of the 27 EU member states minimum wages of different amounts are being paid already. Germany is among the exclusions.
“While having rigid regulations on product norms and technical standards, the EU internal market is doing without effective standards for wages and social benefits. That has led to a situation where enterprises in the member states are competing for the lowest labour costs and taxes, the longest working hours, for pensions’ cuts and the lowest social standards. This kind of competition knows only one winner: the big companies and banks profiting even from selling cannibalised firms”, Lothar Bisky, chairman of EL and German DIE LINKE stated.
Since the Maastricht Treaty wage and social dumping are everyday practice in the EU. Whereas big companies and banks are taking advantage of the internal market, employees have to cope with dwindling wages and social benefits despite of longer working hours, growing physical and psychological strains. A minimum wage guaranteed by law will give them a chance to rejoin social life.
“The European welfare state is a historical potential, a prerequisite for developing the ability of cooperation on the solution of difficult problems. Nobody should be ashamed for defending social rights. The EL’s demand for a European welfare state includes employment policies, structural change and environment protection”, Bisky said.
In view of the next European elections the Executive board members discussed a common election platform. “We want to concentrate on a small number of political demands and organize a lively campaign that helps to achieve together and in broad alliances the critical mass able to move the political scene of Europe to the left. What we do not want is to split forces, proving that we are a useless lot”, the EL chairman summed up the debate. In his view concrete steps towards a social, democratic and peaceful Europe should be the priorities of the election platform.
The EL Exboard adopted a comprehensive working schedule:
“Social minimum standards in Europe” will be the subject of the 3 rd meeting of the EL trade unions’ network on 1-3 February in Vienna.
On 29-30 March a symposium dealing with the “European debate on migration” will take place in Madrid.
The 3 rd meeting of EL Parlacon, a permanent cooperation network of EL MPs will be carried out on 30 May – 1 June in Chisinau (Moldova). Issues to be discussed there shall be aspects of European social politics, parliamentary action against precarization, concepts and experience on a publicly financed employment sector, experience with the growing participation of the secret services in “fighting terror”.
The next meeting of the EL Council of Chairpersons will be convened on the eve of the French EU Presidency on 21-22 June in Paris.
The Exboard meeting was attended by 50 representatives of 24 member and observer parties from 16 countries as well as 2 representatives of the Transform network.
Berlin, 13th January, 2008
