Malta and eight other European members states have written to the European Commission urging it to turn a directive on adequate minimum wages into a recommendation.

They are insisting that the proposed directive does not take into account the different realities of the various member states. 

The European Commission in October proposed an EU directive that would set a framework for minimum wages across all EU member states and encourage collective bargaining, which evidence shows that it tends to lead to higher minimum wages.

Minister Carmelo Abela had already told EU peers, during a videoconferencing meeting in December, that minimum wages should be set by member states and not centrally controlled by the European Union.

In another videoconference on Friday, he said that while Malta beleived in every worker’s right to a decent living, the country also believed in a national policy for minimum wage.
 
He added that parts of the directive could suppress the principle of subsidiarity and leave no room for flexibility.

The other signatories are Sweden, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland, Poland, Hungary and Estonia.