Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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130. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when he intends to bring forward legislation transposing EU Directive 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages in the European; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26008/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages in the European Union was published on 19th October 2022 and must be transposed by 15th November 2024. The Directive aims to ensure that workers across the European Union are protected by adequate minimum wages allowing for a decent living wherever they work.

The Directive includes three sets of measures:

1. One of the goals of the Directive is to increase the number of workers who are covered by collective bargaining on wage setting. It will require Ireland to develop an action plan to enhance collective bargaining coverage by the end of 2025.

2. To ensure minimum wages are set at adequate levels, the Directive also requires countries with statutory minimum wages, as in Ireland, to put in place clear and stable criteria for minimum wage setting, indicative reference values to guide the assessment of adequacy, and to involve social partners in the regular and timely updates of minimum wages.

3. The Directive provides for improved enforcement and monitoring of the minimum wage protection established in each country. The Directive introduces reporting by Member States on its minimum wage protection data to the European Commission.

My Department has received legal advice on the minimum wage elements of the Directive and work is underway to ensure transposition by the deadline of November 2024. Legal advice is that Ireland’s current minimum wage setting framework, namely the Low Pay Commission, is largely already in compliance with the provisions of the Directive.

A technical group has been established with Department officials and the social partners to examine what is required to implement the collective bargaining elements of the Directive. My Department has also requested legal advice as to whether any legislative change is required in order to transpose these elements into Irish legislation by the transposition deadline at the end of the year.

Appropriate legislation to transpose the Directive will be brought forward in due course, following receipt of the aforementioned legal advice and further consultation with the social partners.