The minimum
wage in Germany has risen to 8.84 euros ($9.79) per hour, up by 34 cents. It is
the first raise since the country's minimum wage law came into effect in 2015.
Deutsche Welle, 29 June 2016
Germany's previous minimum wage guaranteed workers 8.50 euros per hour |
Germany's
minimum wage is set to rise by four percent in 2017, up from 8.50 euros per
hour to 8.84 euros, a special wage commission announced on Tuesday.
The
politically independent commission - comprised of employers, workers and unions
- agreed to raise the hourly wage by 34 cents, basing the calculation on a rate
index provided by the Federal Statistics office.
The head of
the commission, Jan Zilius, said the rise is in line with recent wage
agreements in various sectors of the economy and that the decision had been
unanimous.
The tariff
index incorporates some 500 collective agreements and found that over the past
year and a half, wages and salaries had risen by an average of 3.2 percent.
Consumer prices in Germany rose 0.1 percent year-on-year in May, following a
0.1 percent drop in April.
Unemployment
in Germany has been at record lows, giving employers a stronger bargaining
position in recent months.
This will be the first hike up for the minimum wage since it was introduced in January
2015. The wage level is revisited every two years.
The minimum
wage applies to all adult workers, except for trainees or people with
internships lasting fewer than three months.
The ruling
will affect about four million low-paid workers in the German economy.
rs/kl (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
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