Holidays not for everyone

More than 35 million low-paid people in the EU cannot afford a vacation, according to a study by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). According to a confederation that represents around 45 million trade union members in 38 European countries, 35 million people in the EU do not have enough money for a holiday. Among them are many low-paid workers, the ETUC estimates. The analysis uses data from the EU statistical agency Eurostat.

The worst situation is in Greece where 88.9 percent of people living at risk of poverty couldn’t afford a break, followed by Romania (86.8 percent), Croatia (84.7 percent), Cyprus (79.2 percent), and Slovakia (76.1 percent).

Italy has the highest number of people in this category with 7 million, followed by Spain (4.7 million), Germany (4,3 million), France (3.6 million) and Poland (3.1 million).

Many Europeans whose income is below 60 percent of the median are unemployed or retired, but this group also includes millions of low-paid workers, particularly those earning the statutory minimum wage. Statutory minimum wages leave workers at risk of poverty in at least 16 EU member states and, according to the European Commission, 22 million workers make less than 60 percent of the median.

(EURACTIV.pl)