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Minimalna plača
Izraz „minimalna plača“ se nanaša na različne zakonske omejitve najnižjega zneska, ki ga morajo delodajalci plačati delavcem. Zakonsko določena minimalna plača je urejena z zakoni in predpisi ter statuti. Kolektivno dogovorjene minimalne plače so določene v kolektivnih pogodbah, sklenjenih med sindikati in delodajalci.
The adequacy of minimum wages established by the EU Minimum Wage Directive shall be assessed on two dimensions: fairness and the provision of a decent standard of living. It is...
This 2024 annual review of minimum wages provides a synopsis of minimum wage setting during 2023 in the EU27 and Norway. It reports in detail on the processes and outcomes...
V večini držav članic EU je nacionalna minimalna plača zakonsko določena, vendar se njena višina, mehanizmi prilagajanja in pokritost zelo razlikujejo. Minimalne plače v Avstriji, na Danskem, Finskem, v Italiji in na Švedskem so določene v kolektivnih pogodbah, medtem ko se na Cipru zakonsko določena minimalna plača razlikuje glede na poklic.
Novembra 2017 so institucije EU skupaj razglasile evropski steber socialnih pravic, ki opredeljuje zavezo EU za poštene plače za delavce. To vključuje zagotavljanje ustreznih plač, ki delavcem in njihovim družinam omogočajo dostojen življenjski standard, omogočanje nizkokvalificiranim in mladim delavcem, da najdejo zaposlitev, ter hkrati zagotavljanje privlačnosti dela s finančnega vidika.
Nova Evropska komisija, ki je nastopila mandat decembra 2019, je to zavezo ponovila in na dnevni red uvrstila pobudo za reformo minimalne plače v EU. Vizija Komisije za močno socialno Evropo odpira pot za akcijski načrt za izvajanje socialnegastebra . Po dveh krogih posvetovanj s socialnimi partnerji februarja in junija je Komisija 28. oktobra 2020 predložila predlog direktive EU o ustreznih minimalnih plačah. Cilj je, da bi do leta 2024 vsi delavci v EU zaslužili pošteno in ustrezno plačo, ne glede na to, kje živijo.
· Ženske so med zaposlenimi z minimalno plačo prekomerno zastopane v skoraj vseh državah članicah, ne glede na opredelitev prejemnika minimalne plače.
· Vsak deseti delavec v EU je leta 2017 zaslužil približno minimalno plačo (+/–10 %).
· V letu 2019 je veliko držav članic razpravljalo o nadaljnjem znatnem povečanju minimalnih plač po letu 2020, delno glede na relativni cilj, delno v absolutnem smislu.
· Zakonsko določene minimalne plače so postale pravičnejše v primerjavi z drugimi delavskimi plačami od začetka tisočletja (če se zakonsko določene minimalne plače primerjajo z mediano plač vseh delavcev).
· Kljub temu naraščanju minimalne plače v večini držav ostajajo te pod 60 % ali celo pod 50 % mediane plač. To velja zlasti v državah članicah srednje in vzhodne Evrope, ki so na začetku novega tisočletja izhajale iz zelo nizkih relativnih stopenj in v katerih je višina minimalne plače v zakonodaji še vedno določena na ravni približno 50 % mediane ali manj.
· Na splošno 7 od 10 delavcev z minimalno plačo poroča, da vsaj deloma težko shajajo s plačo skozi mesec, v primerjavi z manj kot 5 od 10 delavcev, ki prejemajo plačo, višjo od minimalne, vendar pa se te številke močno razlikujejo med posameznimi državami. Tako se na primer skozi mesec težko ali zelo težko prebija manj kot 10 % delavcev z minimalno plačo na Danskem, Finskem, v Nemčiji in na Švedskem; na drugi strani se te številke gibljejo med 50 % in 60 % v Bolgariji, na Hrvaškem in Cipru ter 80 % v Grčiji.
· Vlade v vsej Evropi se odzivajo z različnimi ukrepi za stabilizacijo dohodkov tistih, ki jih je prizadela kriza zaradi nove koronavirusne bolezni. Minimalne plače imajo lahko pomembno vlogo v kombinaciji politik za stabilizacijo dohodkov in s tem pomagajo pri ukrepanju za boj proti nezadržnemu slabšanju razmer v recesijo ali depresijo.
· Eurofoundova podatkovna zbirka EU PolicyWatch kaže tudi, da so vlade pri določanju zgornjega ali spodnjega praga varstvenega dodatka, na primer za začasno delo, pogosto upoštevale zakonsko določeno minimalno plačo.
· Pandemija bolezni covid-19 je močno prizadela zlasti sektorje in poklice z večjim deležem delavcev z minimalno plačo: delavci v kmetijstvu (v tem sektorju minimalno plačo prejema 15 % delavcev, za nekatera kmetijska dela pa okoli 20 %), maloprodaji (13 %) ter čistilno osebje in pomočniki (25 %) so med tistimi, ki so ključni za družbo v času omejevanja socialnih stikov in zaustavitve javnega življenja.
· Učinke javnozdravstvenih ukrepov je bilo takoj ob pojavu bolezni covid-19 mogoče čutiti tudi v drugih sektorjih in poklicih, kjer je delež delavcev z minimalno plačo večji – zlasti v gostinstvu (16 %), kulturni, razvedrilni in rekreacijski dejavnosti ter dejavnosti gospodinjskih (14 %) in osebnih storitev (16 %).
Infographic: Minimum wages in the EU
Most EU Member States have a national minimum wage. But its level, adjustment mechanisms and coverage vary.
Eurofound’s e-survey on Living, working and COVID-19 shows that nearly half of households are struggling to make ends meet.
Eurofound provides regular updates on pay in the EU, including an annual study on how minimum wage rates have developed across the EU (as well as Norway), reviewing how national governments and social partners engage in setting new rates. It also looks at the concept of a living wage, aimed at guaranteeing workers and their families a decent level of living and social participation in response to the inadequacy of income for many working households reliant on existing national minimum wage rates.
Pay developments
The annual review on minimum wages for 2024 summarises how minimum wage rates were set during 2023. Eurofound published a set of minimum wage country profiles in May 2024 which provide detailed background information on how minimum wages are set and regulated in the EU and Norway.
In an earlier study on pay in Europe in the 21st century, Eurofound explored the implications of a hypothetical scenario of a minimum wage coordinated at EU level and set at 60% of the median national wage.
COVID-19 is likely to impact the ongoing minimum wage debate, as many workers delivering essential services during the pandemic are at the bottom of the pay ladder, like workers in retail, food-supply chains or care roles. Others low-wage workers, like workers in the accommodation and food sector, or in leisure and entertainment services, were the first affected by unemployment during the pandemic. It will be important to see how minimum wages can contribute to the policy measures governments and social partners are applying to cushion the economic and social impacts. Eurofound’s e-survey on Living, working and COVID-19 shows that nearly half of households in the EU are struggling to makes ends meet. Minimum wages could play a policy role in stabilising incomes.
Most EU countries have a national minimum wage. A related but distinct concept is that of a living wage, which is a wage designed to secure a basic but acceptable standard of living for its earner (and, in some cases, household dependents). The living wage rate is based on a detailed, regularly updated costing of the basic services and goods required for such a standard of living and is intended in part to reflect the inadequacy of prevailing statutory minima for that end. Living wage campaigns are generally voluntary and rely on coalitions of interest groups, trade unions and employers working together. These campaigns can take on an advocacy role (Ireland) as well as an accreditation role (UK) where organisations are formally accredited as living wage employers. In line with the fair wage provisions set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights, Eurofound research aims to provide policymakers with a practical guide to the living wage concept.
Most EU Member States have a statutory national minimum wage in place, although its level, adjustment mechanisms and coverage vary. Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden have minimum wages set within collective agreements, while Cyprus has statutory rates for different occupations.
The EU institutions jointly proclaimed the European Pillar of Social Rights in November 2017, setting out the EU’s commitment to fair wages for workers. This includes ensuring adequate wages for workers to allow them and their families to have a decent standard of living, safeguarding the ability of the low-skilled and young workers to find employment, while also making work financially attractive.
The European Commission of 2019–2024 put a reform initiative for an EU minimum wage on the agenda. The Commission’s vision for a strong social Europe prepared the way for an Action Plan to implement the Social Pillar. On 28 October 2020, the Commission put forward a proposal for an EU Directive on adequate minimum wages. This was followed by a political agreement between the European Parliament and the Member States on 7 June 2022. The Minimum Wages Directive was adopted in October 2022. It aims to improve standards of living with a view to achieving upward convergence and reducing in-work poverty, wage inequalities, and the gender pay gap. By November 2024, Member States have to transpose the directive into national law, and ensure that statutory minimum wages are adequate.
In this pilot project, Eurofound successfully established the feasibility of, and piloted, an EU-wide database of minimum pay rates contained in collective agreements related to low-paid workers. A conceptual and...
In the EU, non-compliance with statutory or negotiated minimum wages averages 6.93% or 1.3%, depending on the statistics used. The lowest national estimate is 0.01% in Belgium and the highest...
To poročilo je pripravljeno v okviru triletnega pilotnega projekta (2021–2023) Vloga minimalne plače pri uvedbi univerzalnega jamstva za delo, ki ga je Evropska komisija poverila Eurofoundu. Poročilo se osredotoča na...
Minimum wages have risen significantly in 2022, as the EU Member States leave behind the cautious mood of the pandemic. However, rising inflation is eating up these wage increases, and...
This series reports on developments in minimum wage rates across the EU, including how they are set and how they have developed over time in nominal and real terms. The...
22 Januar 2020
Tekoče dejavnosti
Eurofound redno poroča o plačah v EU, vključno z letno raziskavo o gibanju višine minimalne plače po celotni EU (ter na Norveškem in v Združenem kraljestvu), ter pregleduje, kako nacionalne vlade in socialni partnerji sodelujejo pri določanju nove višine minimalne plače. Obravnava tudi pojem dostojne plače, katere cilj je delavcem in njihovim družinam zagotoviti dostojen življenjski standard in družbeno udejstvovanje kot odgovor na neustrezen dohodek mnogih gospodinjstev z zaposlenimi člani, ki so odvisna od obstoječe zakonsko določene minimalne plače.
Gibanje plač
V letnem pregledu minimalnih plač je povzeto, kako so bile med letom 2020, ki ga je zaznamovala pandemija bolezni covid-19, določene stopnje minimalne plače za leto 2021. Predstavljeni so težave, s katerimi so se srečevali državni nosilci odločanja, ter njihovi odzivi na izzive odpravljanja gospodarskih in socialnih posledic pandemije pri sprejemanju odločitev v zvezi z minimalno plačo. Opisan je obseg, v katerem so bile obravnavane minimalne plače pri podpornih ukrepih, povezanih s pandemijo bolezni covid-19. V poročilu je obravnavan napredek v zvezi s pobudo EU o ustreznih minimalnih plačah ter opisani odzivi socialnih partnerjev na ravni EU in državnih nosilcev odločanja.
V prejšnji raziskavi o plačah v Evropi v 21. stoletju je Eurofound raziskal posledice hipotetičnega scenarija minimalne plače, usklajene na ravni EU in določene v višini 60 % mediane nacionalne plače.
Vpliv pandemije bolezni covid-19 na osebe z nizkimi plačami
Pandemija bolezni covid-19 bo verjetno vplivala na tekočo razpravo o minimalni plači, saj je veliko delavcev, ki med pandemijo zagotavljajo osnovne storitve, na dnu plačilne lestvice, na primer delavci v maloprodaji, verigah preskrbe s hrano ali delavci na področju nege in oskrbe. Brezposelnost je najprej prizadela druge delavce z nizkimi plačami, in sicer delavce v gostinskem sektorju ali dejavnostih za prosti čas in razvedrilo. Ker brezposelnost narašča, bo pomembno razumeti, kako lahko minimalne plače prispevajo h kombinaciji politik, ki jo vlade in socialni partnerji trenutno uporabljajo za ublažitev gospodarskih in družbenih učinkov. Eurofoundova spletna anketa Življenje, delo in covid-19 je pokazala, da skoraj polovica gospodinjstev že težko shaja skozi mesec. Minimalne plače bi lahko imele politično vlogo pri stabilizaciji dohodkov.
Večina držav EU ima zakonsko določeno minimalno plačo. Podoben, a ločen pojem je dostojna plača, tj. plača, ki prejemniku (in v nekaterih primerih vzdrževanim družinskim članom) zagotavlja osnoven, vendar sprejemljiv življenjski standard. Višina dostojne plače temelji na podrobnem in redno posodabljanjem obračunu cen osnovnih storitev in blaga, potrebnih za tak življenjski standard, njen namen pa je tudi prikazati, da prevladujoče zakonsko določene minimalne plače za to ne zadostujejo. Kampanje za dostojno plačo so na splošno prostovoljne ter temeljijo na sodelovanju koalicij interesnih skupin, sindikatov in delodajalcev. Te kampanje lahko prevzamejo zagovorniško vlogo (Irska) in akreditacijsko vlogo (Združeno kraljestvo), kjer so organizacije uradno akreditirane kot delodajalci, ki zagotavljajo dostojno plačo. V skladu z določbami o poštenih plačah, opredeljenimi v socialnem stebru, je cilj Eurofoundove raziskave zagotoviti oblikovalcem politik praktičen vodnik za koncept dostojne plače.
Eurofound bo na zahtevo Evropskega parlamenta in Komisije izvedel pilotni projekt o spremembah minimalne plače v EU med letoma 2021 in 2023. Za več informacij glejte spodnji razdelek „Tekoče delo“.
Christine Aumayr-Pintar is a senior research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. Her current research topics include minimum wages, collectively agreed wages and gender...
Carlos Vacas Soriano is a research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. He works on topics related to wage and income inequalities, minimum wages, low pay, job quality...
This 2024 annual review of minimum wages provides a synopsis of minimum wage setting during 2023 in the EU27 and Norway. It reports in detail on the processes and outcomes of setting the minimum wage rates for 2024 and beyond. It investigates the extent to which minimum wage earners were affected by
In this pilot project, Eurofound successfully established the feasibility of, and piloted, an EU-wide database of minimum pay rates contained in collective agreements related to low-paid workers. A conceptual and measurement framework was devised, a total of 692 collective agreements – related to 24
In the EU, non-compliance with statutory or negotiated minimum wages averages 6.93% or 1.3%, depending on the statistics used. The lowest national estimate is 0.01% in Belgium and the highest is 11.59% in Hungary.
After a long period of price stability, inflation has made a remarkable comeback in the EU. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis spurred by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the disruption of the international supply chain, among other factors, have driven up the
Letni pregled minimalnih plač za leto 2023 je bil pripravljen v okoliščinah inflacije, kakršnih doslej v Evropi še ni bilo. To je v številnih državah povzročilo močno zvišanje stopenj nominalnih plač, kar pa v mnogih primerih ni bilo dovolj za ohranitev kupne moči delavcev. To poročilo na podlagi
To poročilo je pripravljeno v okviru triletnega pilotnega projekta (2021–2023) Vloga minimalne plače pri uvedbi univerzalnega jamstva za delo, ki ga je Evropska komisija poverila Eurofoundu. Poročilo se osredotoča na modul 3 projekta, v okviru katerega se raziskujejo minimalne plače in druge oblike
Potem ko so bile minimalne plače za leto 2021 določene z dobršno mero previdnosti, so se v letu 2022 njihovi nominalni zneski bistveno povišali, saj so se negativne posledice pandemije umirile, gospodarstva in trgi dela pa so si opomogli. Minimalne plače je dvignilo 20 od 21 držav članic EU, ki
V tem poročilu je povzeto, kako so bile med letom 2020, ki ga je zaznamovala pandemija bolezni COVID-19, določene stopnje minimalne plače za leto 2021. Predstavljene so težave, s katerimi so se srečevali državni nosilci odločanja, ter njihovi odzivi na izzive odpravljanja gospodarskih in socialnih
This report, as part of an annual series on minimum wages, summarises the key developments during 2019 and early 2020 around the EU initiative on fair wages and puts the national debates on setting the rates for 2020 and beyond in this context. The report features how minimum wages were set and the
This report sets out to describe what labour market segmentation is and why it is problematic for the labour market and society, as well as disadvantaged groups. It takes a broad view of the term to examine the situation that arises when the divergence in working conditions between different groups
The adequacy of minimum wages established by the EU Minimum Wage Directive shall be assessed on two dimensions: fairness and the provision of a decent standard of living. It is up to the Member States to decide on their approaches to assessing the adequacy of minimum wage levels.
The EU Minimum Wage Directive aims to achieve a collective bargaining coverage of 80%. However, not all collective agreements regulate workers’ pay and in some cases pay rates remain outdated for too long.
While the prospects for minimum wage workers in early 2023 looked gloomy, the new year brings better news: national minimum wages were raised significantly in most countries.
Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound experts Christine Aumayr-Pintar and Carlos Vacas-Soriano about the adequacy of minimum wages in Europe as they stand at the moment, how the EU has sought to improve the situation of low-wage earners through a Directive on adequate minimum wages, and how widesprea
Minimum wages in Belgium exist at national and sectoral levels and are the outcome of collective bargaining. The national minimum wage typically lags behind sectoral minimum wages in Belgium, and policymakers have been concerned about the relative decrease in the national minimum wage compared with
On 31 August 2022, a new decree on minimum wages was published in Cyprus after a long and arduous process of negotiations and social dialogue. The ministerial decree, which came into effect on 1 January 2023, established a national minimum wage in Cyprus for the first time, a groundbreaking and cont
Italy has no minimum wage prescribed by law. Minimum wages are set through collective agreements at sectoral level, and the majority of employees in Italy are covered by a collective bargaining agreement in which wages are set. This article outlines the latest positions (2023) of the government and
Patterns and trends in social partner involvement in times of crises. 20-21 March 2023, EMCO meeting hosted by the Swedish Presidency, Stockholm. Presentation by Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras, Research Manager, Eurofound.
As the EU economy advanced its recovery following the pandemic, the high rate of inflation throughout 2022 meant that wage setting actors made their decisions under a cloud of uncertainty. While nominal increases in statutory minimum wages reached an all-time high, minimum wage workers in most count
Two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, social dialogue continues to make a significant contribution to helping economies recover. Managing the crisis led many governments to rely on tripartite social dialogue to develop the policies that would mitigate the negative impact of the
Minimum wages have risen significantly in 2022, as the EU Member States leave behind the cautious mood of the pandemic. However, rising inflation is eating up these wage increases, and only flexibility in the regular minimum wage setting processes may avoid generalised losses in purchasing power amo
While the number of employees earning the minimum wage has increased across Europe over the last decade, spurred by significant minimum wage hikes, a clear gender divide emerges, with minimum wage earners more likely to be women. Minimum wage earners are also more likely to live in materially depriv
Decision-makers approached minimum wage setting for 2021 cautiously due to the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Despite this, nominal statutory minimum wages rose in most Member States and the UK, although at lower rates than in recent years.
In the context of the ongoing trend of a fall in collective bargaining coverage, and recent calls at EU level to promote collective bargaining coverage as an instrument to support fair and decent wages, new data from Eurofound’s fourth European Company Survey (ECS) show that two-thirds of workers (i
Minimum wages, one of the cornerstone issues for Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission, were a hot topic in the EU at the beginning of the year. Then the COVID-19 public health crisis struck. Now, with an economic crisis and recession looming, the question is not only what impact the crisis has had on m
The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is having drastic consequences for the world of work. In most European countries workers who are not delivering essential ‘frontline’ services are being asked to stay home. Unfortunately many are out of work, while many of those who are not are minimum-wage and low
As one of their ‘100 days in office’ initiatives, the new European Commission intends to propose an initiative for an EU minimum wage. The aim is that by 2024 every worker in the EU should earn a fair and adequate wage, no matter where they live.
The Socialist-led Spanish government that emerged last summer had, by the end of 2018, approved a hike in the statutory minimum wage. This was agreed with the left-wing Podemos party as part of an attempt to secure the parliamentary support needed for passing the proposed 2019 budget – although fail
Wages grew and wage inequality fell in most EU countries in 2015. Germany is not one of the countries where wages rose most, but it did have the largest reduction of wage inequality. Our analysis shows that the German minimum wage policy introduced in 2015 strongly lifted the wages of the lowest-pai
The growth in average (nominal) pay of employees has accelerated in recent years in EU countries after a slump following the economic crisis. Similar developments show up in data on collectively agreed wages. However, higher wage growth figures do not automatically mean that all employees benefit
A carefully selected panel of agreements with reliable time series of negotiated wage rates for 2015 to 2022 was created for 20 countries with sufficient data.
Eurofound selected a sample of 692 agreements to be included with complete information (fully coded) in the database on minimum wage rates in collective agreements related to low-paid workers.