Germany: controversy surrounding the announced rise in the minimum salary to €12 per hour

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11 January 2022 à 09h50

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3 minutes

Publication: 11 January 2022 à 09h50

Reading time: 3 minutes

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On 09 January 2022 and in line with one of the SPD's major election promises, Social Democrat Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Hubertus Heil, informed the German Dpa news that the legal minimum wage would be raised "from 2022" to €12 per hour, versus the current level of €9.82, and that he would present a bill along these lines "in the coming weeks". Although expected, this announcement immediately reignited the controversy surrounding this measure.
Publication

11 January 2022 à 09h50

Reading time

3 minutes

Publication: 11 January 2022 à 09h50

Reading time: 3 minutes

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The fact that German employers are advocating for the principle of collective autonomy (“Tarifautonomie”) in the face of this Social Democrat minister may seem surprising at first sight. However their position is linked to the genesis and specificities of the German legal minimum wage system. The system was only introduced in Germany in 2015, following the conclusion of years of debate (c.f. article No.8809). Its introduction was a landmark decision because in Germany, wages and working...

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