Photo Gallery A Minimum Wage for Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel of the conservative Christian Democratic Union party has indicated that her government may soon move to introduce a legally mandated minimum wage for German workers.
Here the chancellor can be seen on Sept. 15 after a meeting with Michael Sommer (left), chairman of the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB), and Dieter Hundt, president of the Confederation of German Employers (BDA). Hundt has said: "We don't need any more regulations." And Sommer, for his part, likely feels satisfied after fighting a vehement campaign for the introduction of a minimum wage for years.
Opponents of a general minimum wage argue that it would destroy jobs, because it would make positions that require few skills economically unattractive for companies. But a study by Germany's six leading economic research institutes, which was commissioned by the federal government, does not support this notion. In none of the industries studied did a minimum wage adversely affect employment.
A protest sign in support of a minimum wage can be seen painted on a building in Berlin, the German capital.
Some argue that Merkel's proposal won't have much impact. "The motion for the party conference isn't worth the paper it's printed on," says Frank Bsirske, chairman of Ver.di, the amalgamated service employees union. Although he welcomes the fact that the party is generally addressing the subject of the minimum wage, he feels that the plan has inherent weaknesses. "It is incoherent and contradictory," he says.
A carpenter at the site of the Elbphilharmoie symphony building currently under construction in Hamburg. "More than anything, the initiative is social sugarcoating," says Michael Vassiliadis, chairman of IG-BCE, the mining, chemicals and energy trade union.
Workers at a sausage factory in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. Some fear that a legal minimum wage could actually lead to pay being decreased in some other sectors. Some conservatives are calling for the minimum wage in the temporary employment sector, which is currently about 8 euros, to be used as the guideline. But some industries already have minimum wages agreed within the sector of between 9.70 and 13 euros today. Will those wages be forced down in the future?
Graphic: A comparison of minimum wages within selected European Union countries.
