Yesterday, November 21, the Chancellor confirmed, more clearly than ever, that Germany was going to adopt statutory minimum wage. This concession, obtained following friction with the social-democratic party that isn’t letting go, is the only way for Merkel to form a grand coalition and avoid new elections a few months to the European elections. Negotiations on the coalition program are still open, so the Chancellor didn’t give any details about the introduction modalities and level of this German minimum wage. Irrespective of the impressive crushing the project’s opponents have been exchanging for months in the media, this introduction is a small revolution in Germany. Sectors that export should be able to ‘take the shock’ quite easily but some parts of the food processing industry, and obviously services, with all its low-paid jobs, should face real problems. (Ref. 130729)
German minimum wage confirmed. It is probably the first time since the election of September 22 that the Chancellor so clearly stated, on Thursday, November 21 before an audience of employers, that the grand coalition that is getting ready to govern Germany was going to introduce statutory minimum wage valid across the country. “A realistic analysis of the situation shows that the social-democrats won’t leave the bargaining table without securing universal statutory minimum wage,” she...
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