20 Amendments of Romana TOMC related to 2020/0310(COD)
Amendment 135 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) Better working and living conditions, including through adequate minimum wages, benefit both workers and businesses in the Union and are a prerequisite for achieving inclusive and sustainable growth. Addressing large differences in the coverage and adequacy of minimum wage protection, while preserving competences of the Member States and respecting the principle of subsidiarity, contributes to improving the fairness of the EU labour market and promote economic, social progress and upward convergence. Competition in the Single Market should be based on high social standards, innovation and productivity improvements ensuring a level playing field.
Amendment 154 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Women, young and low-skilled workers and persons with disabilities have a higher probability of being minimum wage or low wage earners than other groups. During economic downturns, such as the Covid-19 crisis, the role of minimum wages in protecting low-wage workers becomes increasingly important and is essential to support a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery. Addressing minimum wage reduces discrimination against people with disabilities and contributes to respecting the needs of all generations, contributes to gender equality, closing the gender pay and pension gap as well as elevating women out of poverty.
Amendment 205 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) While strong collective bargaining at sector or cross-industry level contributes to ensuring adequate minimum wage protection, traditional collective bargaining structures have been eroding during the last decades, in part due to structural shifts in the economy towards less unionised sectors and to the decline in trade union membership related to the increase of atypical and new forms of work.
Amendment 211 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) The Commission has consulted management and labour in a two-stage process with regard to possible action to address the challenges related to adequate minimum wages protection in the Union, in accordance with Article 154 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. There was no agreement among the social partners to enter into negotiations with regard to those matters. It is, however, important to take action at Union level, while preserving the competences of the Member States and respecting the principle of subsidiarity, to ensure that workers in the Union are protected by adequate minimum wages, taking into account the outcomes of the social partners’ consultation.
Amendment 217 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) This Directive establishes minimum requirements at Union level, while preserving the competences of the Member States and respecting the principle of subsidiarity, to ensure both that minimum wages are set at adequate level and that workers have access to minimum wage protection, in the form of a statutory minimum wage or in the form of wages set under collective agreements as defined for the purpose of this Directive.
Amendment 299 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) Minimum wages are considered adequate if they are fair in relation to the wage distribution in the country and if they provide a decent standard of living. The adequacy of statutory minimum wages is determined in view of the national socio- economic conditions, including employment growth, competitiveness as well as regional and sectoral developments. Their adequacy should be assessed at least in relation to their purchasing power, to the productivity developments and to their relation to the gross wage levels, distribution and growth. The use of indicators commonly used at international level, such as 60% of the gross median wage and 50% of the gross average wage, can help guide the assessment of minimum wage adequacy in relation to the gross level of wages.
Amendment 334 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) An effective enforcement system, including controls and field inspections, is necessary to ensure the functioning of national statutory minimum wage frameworks. To strengthen the effectiveness of enforcement authorities, a close cooperation with the social partners is also needed, including to address critical challenges such as those related to sub- contracting, bogus self-employment or non-recorded overtime. Moreover, workers should have easily access to appropriate information on applicable statutory minimum wages, also in formats accessible to people with different types of disabilities, to ensure an adequate degree of transparency and predictability as regards their working conditions.
Amendment 343 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 24
Recital 24
(24) The effective implementation of minimum wage protection set out by legal provisions or provided by collective agreements is essential in the performance of public procurement and concession contracts. Non-respect of collective agreements providing for minimum wage protection in a given sector may indeed occur in the execution of such contracts or in the sub- contracting chain thereafter, resulting in workers being paid less than the wage level agreed in the sectoral collective agreements. To prevent such situations, economic operators have to apply to their workers the wages set by collective agreements for the relevant sector and geographical area in order to abide by applicable obligations in the field of labour law, in accordance with Articles 18(2) and 71(1) of Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and the Council on public procurement40 , Articles 36(2) and 88(1) of Directive 2014/25/EU of the European Parliament and the Council41 on procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors and Articles 30(3) and 42(1) of Directive 2014/23/EU of the European Parliament and the Council42 on the award of concession contracts. __________________ 40Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public procurement and repealing Directive 2004/18/EC (OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, p. 65). 41 Directive 2014/25/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors and repealing Directive 2004/17/EC (OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, p. 243). 42Directive 2014/23/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on the award of concession contract (OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, p. 1).
Amendment 380 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 30
Recital 30
(30) In implementing this Directive Member States should avoid imposing administrative, financial and legal constraints in a way which would hold back the creation and development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Member States are therefore invitobliged to assess the impact of their transposition act on small and medium-sized enterprises in order to ensure that they are not disproportionately affected, giving specific attention to micro-enterprises and to the administrative burden, and to publish the results of such assessments. If found that micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are disproportionately affected, Member States should consider introducing measures to support these enterprises to adjust their remuneration structures to the new requirements.
Amendment 384 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 31
Recital 31
(31) The Technical Support Instrument43 and the European Social Fund plus44 are available to Member States and enterprises, especially to SMEs, to develop or improve the technical aspects of minimum wage frameworks, including on assessment of adequacy, monitoring and data collection, broadening access, as well as on enforcement and on general capacity building related to the implementation of said frameworks. __________________ 43Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 May 2020 on the establishment of the Technical Support Instrument, COM(2020) 409 final 44Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Social Fund Plus, COM/2018/382 final.
Amendment 387 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 31 a (new)
Recital 31 a (new)
(31 a) The European Commission and the Member States should make every effort to ensure that the implementation of this Directive does not have negative consequences in terms of increased bogus self-employment, atypical contracts or undeclared work. Information on the impact of this Directive on these aspects should be included in the review report on its implementation.
Amendment 410 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
(b a) prohibiting any activity that violates the right of employees to join workers' organizations and ensuring that all employees have adequate access to information about their rights, including in formats accessible to people with various types of disabilities.
Amendment 531 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 4 – paragraph 2
Article 4 – paragraph 2
2. Member States where collective bargaining coverage is less than 70% of the workers defined within the meaning of Article 2 shall in addition provide for a framework of enabling conditions for collective bargaining, either by law after consultation of the social partners or by agreement with them and respecting existing legislation and traditions and practices in this field , and shall establish an action plan to promote collective bargaining. The action plan shall be made public and shall be notified to the European Commission.
Amendment 556 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 1
Article 5 – paragraph 1
1. Member States with statutory minimum wages shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the setting and updating of statutory minimum wages are guided by criteria set to promote adequacy, taking into account local specificities and in such a way that they do not disturb the economic balance and competitiveness, with the aim to achieve decent working and living conditions, social cohesion and upward convergence. Member States shall define those criteria in accordance with their national practices, either in relevant national legislation, in decisions of the competent bodies or in tripartite agreements. The criteria shall be defined in a stable and clear way.
Amendment 617 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 3
Article 5 – paragraph 3
Amendment 673 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 1
Article 6 – paragraph 1
1. Member States may allow different rates of statutory minimum wage for specific groups of workers only in exceptional cases. Such a differentiation must be objectively and reasonably justified by a legitimate aim. Member States shall keep these variations to a minimum, and ensure that any variation is non- discriminatory, proportionate, limited in time if relevant, and objectively and reasonably justified by a legitimate aim.
Amendment 750 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point 3
(3) ensure that information on statutory minimum wages is made publicly available in a clear, comprehensive and easily accessible way also in formats accessible to people with different types of disabilities.
Amendment 764 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 1
Article 9 – paragraph 1
In accordance with Directive 2014/24/EU, Directive 2014/25/EU and Directive 2014/23/EU, Member States shall take appropriate measures to ensure that in the performance of public procurement or concession contracts economic operators comply with the wages set out by relevant collective agreements for the relevant sector and geographical area and with the statutory minimum wages where they exist.
Amendment 771 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 1
Article 10 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall task their competent authorities with developing effective data collection tools to monitor the coverage and adequacy of minimum wages. These tools should be designed in a way that will not impose excessive administrative burden on employers, especially in the SME sector and on micro-entrepreneurs.
Amendment 831 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 3
Article 10 – paragraph 3
3. Member States shall ensure that information regarding minimum wage protection, including collective agreements and wage provisions therein, is transparent and publicly accessible, also in formats accessible to people with different types of disabilities.