Communiqué August 2005
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Director’s diary
In the new Europe of 25 countries, the issue of minimum wage has moved to the centre of the political debate. An EIRO comparative study on the subject, published during the summer, found that while all EU Member States have some form of minimum wage system in place, either through legislation or collective agreements, there are sizeable differences between the levels of wages in the different countries. The report found that advocates in favour of minimum wage argue that it protects low-paid workers, while opponents claim that it could price low-skilled workers out of jobs. The study was reported on by the media in 21 countries across the Union.
The Foundation’s research in other areas has also been widely received. Since the start of its Quality of Life roadshow in Poland, at the end of June 2004, the findings of the European Quality of Life survey have been presented to representatives of governments, social partners and civil society in eleven countries across the EU, reaching an estimated 15 million people. These country visits represent a unique occasion to meet with the Foundation’s stakeholders in the different Member States. They also form part of an overall drive to communicate with a more general audience and to strengthen and improve the Foundation’s position as a leading information source on socio-economic progress in the European Union.
In the coming month, the Foundation will present the findings
of the European Quality of Life Survey in Sweden, map the future of the
construction industry
at an EMCC event in Spain, and analyse industrial relations developments
against the background of the reform of the steel sector over the past
two decades at an EIRO event in Belgium.
Willy Buschak
Acting Director