It emphasized that there are 22 million low-income citizens in the European Union, including low-paid workers, pensioners and the unemployed.
“Holidays should not be a luxury for a few. While many employees are away enjoying their free time with friends and family, millions are left without low pay, ”said Esther Lynch, Deputy Secretary-General of the EGTC.
“The widening holiday gap shows how the benefits of European economic growth over the last decade have not been distributed fairly.”
According to the survey, the proportion of low-income citizens who cannot afford a week’s holiday away from home was highest in Greece (88.9%), Romania (86.8%), Croatia (84.7%) and Cyprus (79.2%). In contrast, Finland and Sweden were estimated to have the lowest share of low-income people who cannot afford a break of 30 and 32.3 per cent.
“The EU Adequate Minimum Wage Directive needs to be strengthened to ensure that wages are never so low as to leave workers living in poverty, and that collective bargaining is made a routine part of employment to ensure a truly fair wage for all,” Lynch demanded.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT