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Unions Divided? Research project at Roskilde University investigates trade union attitudes towards EU legislation on wages

The European Union’s adoption of a Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages in 2022 has sparked controversy among trade unions in Europe. While in many EU member states trade unions support this Directive, most trade unions in Denmark and Sweden oppose it. A recent research project at RUC investigates why Scandinavian unions see this Directive differently.

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  • VELNET - Nationalt Netv?rk for Velf?rdsstudier (Forskningscenter)
    • Types of union positions according to bargaining coverage and state support
    Findings from the project: Types of union positions according to bargaining coverage and state support
    Af: VELNET

    A research project at Roskilde University investigated the reasons investigated the reasons why Danish and Swedish unions, unlike unions in many other countries, oppose the EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages, drawing on 27 interviews with representatives of unions in 13 EU member states. 

    The results, forthcoming in the journal Economic and Industrial Democracy, show that two factors are decisive for shaping unions’ positions on the directive: bargaining coverage and state support for collective bargaining.

    Where coverage is high and state support is weak, unions aim to protect their national bargaining model against EU interference. 

    Where coverage is high and state support is strong, unions consider the Directive irrelevant for their own country but support it out of solidarity with unions in countries where they are weak (Austria, Italy, Finland, Spain). 

    Where coverage is low, unions support the Directive, because they expect it to have positive effects on either minimum wages or bargaining coverage, or both (many CEEC, Germany).