Germany said yes: from today the universal minimum wage is a reality. The German Council of Ministers has adopted a national law that will apply to all categories of workers starting from 2017, as foreseen by the agreements between the CDU and the SPD to form the third Merkel government.
The provision was the workhorse of the Social Democrats, who had made the introduction of this measure the first condition for creating the Grosse Koalition led by the chancellor, who - together with her conservative party - would have preferred bargaining by category entrusted to individuals Lander (the federal states into which the country is divided).
The "Mindestlohn", as it is called in German, provides for a mandatory minimum wage of 8,50 euros gross per hour and will come into effect throughout Germany on 2015 January 2017, although a transitional period is foreseen for some sectors. By 18, all German workers will benefit, with the exception of three categories: children under XNUMX, interns and the long-term unemployed.
The new law still needs to be approved by both the Bundestag, the lower house of the German Parliament, and the Bundesrat, the upper house (or federal council), but both passages should not encounter any difficulties.
The introduction of the "Mindestlohn" is a revolutionary step for a country that has always granted the most complete autonomy to the social partners in wage negotiations. Predictably, in recent weeks the Bda, the German equivalent of our Confindustria, has criticized the measure arguing that it will prove to be an obstacle to jobs for the weakest. Furthermore, according to the industrialists, it is unfair to impose the minimum wage at the national level, since today wages in the former GDR are still lower than in the former West Germany.
On the other hand, the share of Germans who say they are in favor of the "Mindestlohn" is close to 80%.
