The minimum wage risks overshadowing collective bargaining
The minimum wage is not the solution to low wages and exploitation, better to focus on collective bargaining. This is what emerges from the document “Minimum wage in Italy: elements for an evaluation” elaborated by the Foundation Studies Consulenti del Lavoro on the basis of Inps and Cnel data.
After having clarified how the EU directive 2022/2041 does not require the member countries to introduce a minimum wage by law, but rather privileges the criterion of collective bargaining, the analysis reviewed 63 collective agreements, selected from among the most representative, identifying for each the minimum wage envisaged for the lowest level of employment including the accruals of additional monthly salary (13th month and possibly 14th month) as well as the share of severance pay, which constitutes a deferred salary.
The result is that over half of the CCNLs analyzed are above the 9 euro threshold: 39 are above, 22 below. Of the latter, 18 are between 8 and 8.9 euros, while the remaining 4 are between 7 and 7.9 euros. The CCNL Private Supervision is even lower.
In the face of a proven need to adjust wages, the document shows how the introduction of a legal minimum wage, instead of representing the solution, would involve some contraindications, described in detail within the text. The report also includes suggestions for better collective bargaining and for solving the problem of contracts below 9 euro per hour.
MINIMUM WAGE IS NOT THE SOLUTION TO LOW WAGES AND EXPLOITATION: BETTER BETTING ON COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: READ THE ANALYSIS OF THE FONDAZIONE STUDI CONSULENTI DEL LAVORO HERE
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