Cyprus ranks first among European Union countries in terms of the percentage of citizens who cannot afford to heat their homes despite working, according to a data analysis conducted for the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) .
According to the survey, published at a time when energy prices are rising across Europe, 15% of Europe's poor workers will not be able to turn on the heating to heat their households, a figure of 2.713.578. XNUMX people across Europe.
In Cyprus, the percentage of employees who can not pay for heating is at 45,6% according to the findings of the survey presented through a press release.
Over the past decade, the situation has worsened in 10 EU Member States (including Cyprus), making these groups more vulnerable to new increases in energy costs and prices, according to a Eurostat-based survey.
The highest percentage of poor workers who can not pay for heating is recorded in Cyprus, Bulgaria (42,8%), Lithuania (34,5%), Portugal (30,6%), Greece (28,7%) ) and in Italy (26,1%).
The highest percentage increase of poor workers who can not pay for heating since 2009 was recorded in Croatia (16,5%), Cyprus (10%), Lithuania (7,9%), Slovakia (7,8%), Spain ( 6%) and Italy (5,2%).
The unions that make up the ETUC call on the European Parliament to protect workers from energy poverty by introducing a "dignity threshold" in the draft EU Minimum Wage Directive, which will ensure that legal minimum wages guarantee a decent level of shall not be less than 60% of the average wage or less than 50% of the average wage in any Member State.
According to the ETUC, 20 EU Member States have statutory minimum wages below this level.
The confederation also notes that amendments are needed to increase the number of employees covered by collective agreements across Europe.
"There are millions of low-wage workers in Europe who have to choose between heating their home or feeding their family or paying rent despite working full time. That fact must be taken into account. "
According to the press release, the Member States' Ministers of Transport and Energy were to discuss the "Fit for 55" climate and energy package at an informal meeting in Slovenia on Wednesday. Earlier this month, Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans said, the EU should ensure that vulnerable groups do not pay a heavy price for the economy's transition to renewable energy.