Sep 4, 2014
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The parliament has passed an act that strengthens the autonomy of the social partners in collective bargaining. The act (called Tarifautonomiestärkungsgesetz) introduces a statutory minimum hourly wage of €8.5 in 2015.
The parliament has passed an act that strengthens the autonomy of the social partners in collective bargaining. The act (called Tarifautonomiestärkungsgesetz) introduces a statutory minimum hourly wage of €8.5 in 2015. Sectors with already negotiated minimum wages that are lower than €8.5 will have 2 years to adapt to the new minimum. After 2 years, a joint committee with representatives from the State, employers’ organisations and trade unions will meet regularly (every 2 years) to reassess the minimum wage level. The act enables the social partners in a sector to impose more easily a collective agreement to all enterprises in a sector as the act makes an end to a (50% of workers in the sector) representation limit.
English: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/03/germany-minimumwage-approval
German: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/mindestlohn-eine-historische-reform ...
Focus on the new act (in German): http://www.sozialpolitik-aktuell.de/kontrovers ...
For more information, please contact the editor Jan Cremers, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) cbn-aias@uva.nl or the communications officer at the ETUI, Mariya Nikolova mnikolova@etui.org. For previous issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit http://www.etui.org/E-Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net.