Social partners have agreed to raise the minimum wage by 8% for 2025. Starting January, the minimum wage will increase by €66 to €886 per month, representing 43% of the average wage forecasted by the Central Bank of Estonia. This adjustment aims to reduce social inequality and alleviate wage poverty, supporting the livelihoods of workers. While unions acknowledge the progress, they stress that the rise remains insufficient to cover the increasing cost of living and call for faster wage growth in the coming years to ensure economic security. Employers highlight that the increase exceeds the predicted inflation rate and improves purchasing power for lower-income workers. However, they warn that sustainable wage growth must be tied to higher productivity and skills development to support business competitiveness.
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For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu.
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