European Wages: EU MEPs call for EU-wide minimum income

 EU Parliament MEP's are calling for a standard EU-Wide minimum income and have suggested that:

• Minimum income schemes should be introduced in all member states
• They should go together with better access to housing, health care and education
• Support for children, unemployed and single-parent households

Introducing minimum schemes in all EU member states is one of the most effective ways to lift people out of poverty, Employment Committee MEPs say.

Most EU countries already have minimum income schemes, but these do not always provide adequate support for those in need. The Employment Committee therefore urges all member states to introduce a minimum income and, if necessary, upgrade existing schemes.

To improve the effectiveness of minimum income schemes, the Employment Committee proposes to:

• set minimum income using the Eurostat at-risk-of-poverty threshold and other indicators
• improve the suitability of the schemes to correspond better to the most vulnerable
• reverse the low rate of take-up among those eligible by raising awareness

Minimum income schemes should combine financial support with easier access to social and public services like housing, health care, education and training. Those that can work should get assistance in gaining access to the labour market, MEPs say.

 
Read more: MEPs call for EU-wide minimum income | News | European Parliament

Britain - income levels drop - Fall in wages puts Britain in Europe's bottom four - by James Cusick

British workers have suffered one of the biggest falls in real wages among European countries over the past three years, with only crisis-hit Greece, Portugal and the Netherlands doing worse.

New figures collated by the House of Commons Library show a 5.5 per cent drop in wages after inflation since 2010. This follows other recent national statistics on the rising cost of living and a substantial fall in living standards since the first of George Osborne's austerity budgets was delivered three years ago.

The shadow Treasury secretary, Cathy Jamieson, said the figures, released by the Labour Party yesterday, showed that not only was Britain worse off under the Conservative-led coalition, but the UK was doing much worse than most other EU countries.

Ms Jamieson said: "Life is getting harder for ordinary families, as prices continue rising faster than wages." She attacked David Cameron and the Chancellor as "failing badly over the past three years, with working people paying a heavy price".

Read more: Fall in wages puts Britain in Europe's bottom four - UK Politics - UK - The Independent