Die EU als Schrittmacher bei der Erhöhung von Mindestlohn und Tarifbindung?

In autumn 2022, the Directive (2022/2041) on adequate minimum wages in the European Union was adopted. This has two central objectives. Member States with a statutory minimum wage must develop transparent criteria and procedures for setting it. If collective bargaining coverage is less than 80 percent, they are also obliged to draw up an action plan to promote collective bargaining with the involvement of trade unions and employers. The introduction of a minimum wage is not mandatory. The directive itself is considered to have a certain ambivalence as a “recommendation in the guise of a directive”. Nevertheless, it is perceived as a change of path in the EU’s integration policy, which has so far mainly aimed at creating the common market. Whether this path change will actually happen is likely to depend above all on the implementation of the recommendations and the respective national power play. To this end, the first controversial discussions on the need and opportunities for legal action in Germany are outlined.