The minimum wage is supposed to rise to 12.82 euros next year – actually. Now the Chancellor is demanding a bigger surcharge. Now Finance Minister Lindner speaks out.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner has rejected Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s (SPD) proposal to increase the legal minimum wage to 15 euros. The FDP chairman told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Wednesday) that it was legitimate for the Chancellor to also be active as an election campaigner. “The coalition agreement for this legislative period clearly states that wage determination is not a matter for the parties.” In the long run, it would be dangerous for jobs if politics got involved here.
The SPD continually makes proposals that do not fit the coalition agreement for this legislative period, said Lindner. “The only new thing is that the Chancellor is now also taking part in this. I hope that the SPD’s feigned outrage will end when the FDP puts forward ideas independently.”
Scholz had spoken out in favor of increasing the minimum wage initially to 14 euros and then to 15 euros. The lower wage limit has been 12.41 euros since the beginning of 2024, and a further increase of 41 cents is planned for the beginning of 2025 in accordance with the minimum wage commission set by employers and unions last year. In recent weeks, calls for a minimum wage of 15 euros have been increasing from the ranks of the SPD, the Greens and the trade unions.
Source: Stern
