MEPs, representatives from PES member parties and organizations, trade unions, and from civil society hailed the new Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages as discussions continued for a directive on Platform Work.
The Chair of the PES Social Europe Network and rapporteur of the Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages Agnes Jongerius said:
“Our political family has fought for fair and adequate minimum wages that protect all workers and strengthens collective bargaining, in full respect of national specificities and competences. People are facing a huge cost-of-living crisis, so Member States should not wait a single second with the implementation of this European law”.
The Directive was approved by a large majority in the European Parliament on 14 September and constitutes a huge win for our political family who was the driving force behind its adoption. The PES continues to push for workers’ rights in the context of Platform Work too and supports the Commission’s proposal for a Directive that would improve working conditions in the sector.
Jongerius said:
“Platform work creates new realities. But it should never lower workers’ rights: it must not try to blur the differences between employees and the genuine self-employed, isolate workers from each other, make collective action harder, or manage pay and penalties on workers through algorithms. We must change all of that. We need to stand for workers’ rights offline and online”.
The draft Directive clearly states that a considerable part of platform workers should be requalified as employees. During their exchange with EP Rapporteur Elisabetta Gualmini, members of the PES Social Europe Network reiterated their commitment to the quick adoption of an ambitious directive.
Following a presentation by Laurent Grandguillaume, president of the Territoires zéro chômeurs de longue durée association, participants of the SEN also discussed an innovative French initiative to tackle long-term unemployment, the Zero long-term unemployment zones, and exchanged views on housing policies across the EU. Ongoing legislative and policy processes such as the upcoming Minimum Income Initiative and the newly launched EU Care Strategy were also within the scope of the discussion.
Participants’ list:
- Agnes Jongerius, Chair of the PES Social Europe Network, Member of the European Parliament, S&D coordinator for EMPL PES
- Yonnec Polet, Deputy Secretary General PES
- Aurore Lalucq, Member of the European Parliament, Place Publique, France
- Elisabetta Gualmini, Member of the European Parliament PD, Italy
- Katrine Skov, Vice-President PES Women
- Elena Limbouri, Party Representative EDEK, Cyprus
- Michaela Marksová, Party Representative CSSD, Czech Republic
- Richard van de Burgt, Party Representative PvdA, Netherlands
- Anne Karjalainen, Chair of the CoR commission on social affairs (SEDEC), PES Group in the Committee of the Regions
- Mikko Aaltonen, Member of Tampere City Council, PES Group in the Committee of the Regions
- Laurent Grandguillaume, President Territoires Zéro Chômeur de Longue Durée Association
- Maria Freitas, Political Adviser, PES Group in the Committee of the Regions
- Santina Bertulessi, Deputy Head of Cabinet for Commissioner Nicolas Schmit European Commission
- Jos Bertrand, President ESO
- Nikita Sanaullah, Policy Analyst Foundation for European Progressive Studies
- Carlos Roldán Mejías, Social Policy Coordinator SOLIDAR
- Lorenzo Repetti, Senior Advisor ETUC
- Ignacio Doreste, Advisor ETUC
- Cathrine Hernández Festersen, Senior Policy Advisor UNI Europa
- Jeanne Bot, Advocacy Manager, Territoires Zéro Chômeur de Longue Durée Association
- Manon Deshayes, Policy Officer European Youth Forum
- Laura de Bonfils, Head of Policy and Advocacy Social Platform
- Barbara Steenbergen, Head of EU liaison office International Union of Tenants
- Tajma Sisic, European Coordinator International Union of Socialist Youth
- Jan Kunz, Political Advisor S&D Secretariat
- Livia Jourdain, Political Advisor S&D Secretariat
- Susanne Reither, Political Advisor S&D Secretariat
- Bentley Louisa, Assistant S&D Secretariat
- Minna Piispa, Assistant S&D Secretariat
- Franca Nagl, Assistant to MEP Evelyn Regner SPÖ, Austria
- Magda Stumvoll, Policy Advisor to MEP Evelyn Regner SPÖ, Austria
- Arzu Yasar, Assistant to MEP Aurore Lalucq Place Publique, France
- Christian Neumann, Assistant to MEP Gabriele Bischoff SPD, Germany
- Stasa Tkalec, Assistant to MEP Milan Brglez SD, Slovenia
- Alba Maria Huertas Ruiz, Assistant to MEP Durá Ferrandis PSOE, Spain
- Cristian Villar Prieto, Assistant to MEP Alícia Homs Ginel PSOE, Spain
- Cristina Elena Lago Quintans, Assistant to MEP Durá Ferrandis PSOE, Spain
- David Gil Gonçalves, Assistant to MEP Pedro Marques PS, Portugal
- María Victoria Sellés Grasa, Assistant to MEP Durá Ferrandis PSOE, Spain
- Tove Dahlberg, Assistant to MEP Ilan De Basso SD, Sweden
- Constantin Kourkoulas, Head of Policy Unit PES
- Antoine Mertzeisen, Political Adviser PES
- Sophia Christodoulou, Policy intern PES
