Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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179. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will work for the strongest possible transposition into Irish law of the EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages, with a view to encouraging and supporting collective bargaining; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23529/24]

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, 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 into Irish law 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.

Article 4 of the Directive, Promotion of Collective Bargaining on Wage Setting, aims to promote collective bargaining on wages in all Member States. The Directive requires Member States in which the collective bargaining coverage rate is less than 80% to provide “for a framework of enabling conditions for collective bargaining” and to publish an Action Plan to promote collective bargaining. It should be noted that the 80% threshold is an indicator triggering the publication of an Action Plan, rather a mandatory target to be reached. The deadline for the Action Plan to be submitted to the Commission is the end of 2025. However, it is intended to publish it ahead of that date.

The European Commission's Expert Group Report on the transposition of the Directive published last November was clear that the design of the framework of enabling conditions and the content of the Action Plan is up to Member States, in consultation with the social partners.

Therefore, a technical working group has been established with Department officials and the social partners to consider the context of the Action Plan. The working group has had two meetings to date and is due to meet again in June.

My Department has also requested legal advice as to what legislative change if any is required in order to transpose this article of the Directive into Irish legislation by the transposition deadline.

The consideration of the recommendations of the LEEF Final Report on Collective Bargaining will also be an important input to our Action Plan.