The minimum wage in Germany has increased again, as a commission had previously decided. But he continues to be criticized. It is said that labor poverty is not off the table.
On July 1st, the statutory minimum wage rose by ten cents to EUR 9.60 an hour.
The adjustment is part of a gradual increase: on January 1, 2022, the minimum wage will increase again to 9.82 euros and six months later to 10.45 euros. Employers and trade union representatives negotiated these steps after a long dispute in the minimum wage commission, which according to the law has to set the future level of the lower wage limit every two years. On the recommendation of the commission, the federal government decided to increase it.
The German Trade Union Federation (DGB) has long been demanding significantly more, namely 12 euros per hour. “Nobody can pay their rent from 9.60 euros an hour, neither in the country nor in the metropolitan areas of the big cities, or enable their children to go on a school trip or now in the summer for a holiday trip,” said DGB board member Stefan Körzell. Wages below 12 euros made people poor despite work and ultimately resulted in poverty in old age.
The left also criticized the current increase as too low. “A minimum wage that leads to poverty in old age, even with a full-time working life, has nothing to do with fair wages. 12.21 euros per hour would be necessary at the moment to get a pension in the amount of the basic security, ”said party leader Susanne Hennig-Wellsow on Thursday. The left calls for an increase to 13 euros.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
