Spautz swiftly reassured the unions, who said the government had failed to consult them and that they learned of decisions on the EU minimum wage directive through the press. He explained that calculations had been carried out on wage developments over the past two years, arriving at a figure of 3.8 percent, which reflects overall wage growth in Luxembourg during that period.
Spautz also clarified that the planned adjustments would operate on two distinct levels. The first is the standard minimum wage adjustment familiar to Luxembourg, while the second follows the rules set out in the European directive, under which the aim is to bring the minimum wage to 60 percent of median income. The unions, he confirmed, would be called in for talks the following week to take stock of the situation together.
A meeting with the social partners had in any case already been scheduled for the coming week to discuss the labour market and employment more broadly. Spautz hoped that the meeting would help unblock the situation and allow the necessary decisions to be taken together, in the interests of both workers and the country as a whole.
The minister acknowledged his regret that discussions with the social partners still had to take place in a bipartite format. He was nonetheless clear that there was no obstacle to working through the figures together, so that everyone could contribute their perspective and the government could ultimately make its decisions with a full picture of the facts.
