Only if workers and smallholders in our global supply chains earn a living wage or income can we effectively tackle the major challenges of poverty, hunger, deforestation, climate change and child labour, said Minister Gennez in a statement on Wednesday. The concept of a “living income” implies that a family has sufficient resources to cover the costs of food, housing, health care, education, transport and other essential aspects, as well as having sufficient reserves.
A series of actions are included in the statement to this end. In other words, it is more about setting up a dialogue between consumer and producer countries about an adequate minimum income and stimulating social dialogue for the emancipation of workers in producer countries. The statement also proposes to work together to make this issue one of the priorities of the European legislator.
The Netherlands and Germany signed the joint statement as early as January 2021. Our country announced in June of last year in Berlin that it wanted to join the declaration as the third signatory. In September 2022, Luxembourg also declared its willingness to sign the joint statement.