Minimum wages
- (Photo: European Central Bank)
The minimum wages of the EU and applicant countries vary between 56 Euro in Bulgaria and 1369 Euro in Luxembourg.
Half of the existing EU states legally provide for obligatory minimum wages, making it illegal to employ a person for less than a minimum amount. In other countries, minimum salaries are negotiated through collective bargaining. Wage fixing is not an EU powers (competence).
The future
The EU Constitution proposes that social policy be made a shared competence - EU law would therefore suppress member states' existing legislation and right to legislate in this area.
According to Art. III-18.2 and III-108, equal pay must be given for equal work. According to Art. III-107, the Commission gives impetus to the Member States' cooperation on working conditions. In part II, different rights for wage earners are mentioned.
