UNI Europa report takes stock of transposition of EU minimum wage law

A UNI Europa report released today provides analysis and information for workers and trade unions on the state of play in the transposition of the EU’s Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages. 

This publication focuses on the critical milestone of 2024,  the deadline for transposing the European Union’s minimum wage directive into national law.  It includes four chapters, each authored by a regional expert, with updates on the ongoing discussions and actions to promote collective bargaining from their respective regions.   

The first chapter focuses on countries with high level of collective bargaining coverage (above 80 per cent)While these countries need to transpose the directive, there’s no obligation for them to draft specific national action plans to promote collective bargaining. This section includes countries such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden, and Spain. 

The second chapter moves on to nations with single-employer bargaining and moderate levels of coverage, including Croatia, Ireland, Czechia, Cyprus and Malta. 

Chapter three examines countries with single-employer bargaining and low levels of collective bargaining coverage, such as Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Baltic States. These nations encounter both structural and cultural obstacles to collective bargaining, which arise from fragmented union structures, low union membership and insufficient social dialogue mechanisms. 

The final chapter investigates countries with sectoral bargaining systems and medium levels of coverage, such as Germany, Slovenia, Portugal, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. 

This publication builds on UNI Europa’s earlier report from April 2024, which outlined trade union strategies to strengthen collective bargaining and provided a wealth of ideas for shaping national action plans. This foundational work highlighted ways to bolster trade unions, increase employer involvement, improve bargaining processes and promote a culture that values collective bargaining. 

Their insights were drawn from regional workshops organised by UNI Europa in the autumn of 2024 (Bergamo, Dublin, Budapest and Berlin) as part of the EU-funded BC4CB project, fostering dialogue and exchange among trade unionists on how to improve their national laws to achieve the 80 per cent collective bargaining coverage.  

The report represents a major milestone on the road to UNI Europa’s 6th statutory Conference in Belfast in late March 2025. 

Download the report here. 

While the chapters in this report serve as valuable input for further discussion, they do not reflect the official position of UNI Europa. Instead, they offer a snapshot of the current state of efforts to strengthen collective bargaining and reinforce its role as a cornerstone of decent pay across Europe.