Unions divided? Trade union attitudes towards the European Union's Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages.

This article examines the divergent positions of trade unions across European Union (EU) member states regarding the EU’s 2022 directive on adequate minimum wages and strengthening collective bargaining (AMWD). Based on 27 interviews with union representatives from 13 countries, it develops a typology of union stances—domestically-oriented opposition, domestically-oriented support, and externally-oriented support—explaining these through two key variables: national collective bargaining coverage and the presence of state support mechanisms safeguarding it. Unions in countries with high bargaining coverage but weak state support (e.g., Denmark and Sweden) oppose the AMWD fearing it threatens their bargaining model, while unions in countries with low coverage support it for its potential to strengthen domestic wage-setting (e.g., Germany, Bulgaria). In contrast, unions in countries with both high coverage and strong state support (e.g., Austria, Finland) support the directive primarily out of solidarity with unions in other countries or to reduce wage competition within the EU. The study highlights how institutional contexts shape union interests and perceptions of the AMWD’s impact.