On Thursday the 25th of November the European Parliament voted on whether or not to enter into negotiations with the Council on the new Minimum Wage Directive. A no vote would have spelled the end for the new Directive, which aims to ensure a reasonable living wage for all workers across the EU.
There was a vocal opposition to the Directive in the Parliament before the vote. This made the risk of a no vote quite real. In the end, however, 443 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted in favour of entering into negotiations, with only 192 voting against and 58 abstaining. This means that the European Parliament will continue to work on making the Directive a reality.
EDF has been working hard alongside the Social Platform to strengthen and support the creation of this new Directive. We have been pushing for amendments that crack down on employers paying their workers with disabilities below minimum wage, including in sheltered workshops. We have also been pushing to improve accessible information for workers with disabilities on their rights and reduce the impact of wages on other forms of income such as disability and housing allowance.
You can read EDF’s proposals for amendments by clicking here.
You can read the European Commission’s proposal for the Directive by clicking here.