(Brussels) The wage of workers in 6 EU countries is lower on average than ten years ago, while wages in other 3 EU countries have been almost frozen over the last decade. This is according to the figures released today by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), on the basis of a study conducted by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI). Between 2010 and 2019, wages, adjusted for inflation and including social security contributions and pay benefits, went down in Greece (-15%), Cyprus (-7%), Croatia (-5%), Spain and Portugal (-4%), and Italy (-2%). And they practically “froze” with barely above zero increases in Finland (+0.1%), Belgium (+1.5%), and the Netherlands (+1.5%). “Working people in six EU countries are worse off than they were 10 years ago”, said Esther Lynch, ETUC Deputy General Secretary. “EU leaders like to talk up the so-called recovery, but the crisis is not over for millions of working people in many EU countries”. The EU must do more to “promote increases in wages and in minimum wages, and to support stronger collective bargaining in almost all EU member states”. The ETUC in its statement also stressed that “substantial wage increases in low wage economies have not led to workers in those countries getting fair or decent wages”.