EU jobs chief says no plan for common minimum wage

BRUSSELS (AP) — The official set to become the European Union’s employment chief has no plan to create a minimum wage that would apply in every country of the 28-nation bloc.

Laying out his priorities during a hearing by European lawmakers Nicolas Schmit said Tuesday he will fight for the implementation of minimum standards aimed at tackling revenue disparities across the EU, but insisted minimum wages can’t be the same everywhere.

Schmit, who has been picked to take on the jobs portfolio in the next European Commission scheduled to take office on November 1, said “by no means” he wants to create “a European frame for minimum wages.”

According to the Eurostat agency, 22 out of the 28 member states had national gross minimum wages as of January 2019, ranging from 286 euros in Bulgaria to 2,071 euros in Luxembourg.

Monthly minimum wages are generally below 600 euros  in eastern countries and above 1,400 euros in the northwestern nations.

Schmit says a common minimum wage can’t be put in place across the bloc because of the different economic profiles of each member state but pledged to work on reducing the gaps.

“We need to work on a convergence,” said Schmit, a former Luxembourg employment minister.

“If we create a framework for a minimum income, it will have an impact on all salaries, and it will also be useful in the fight against social dumping.”

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