Minimum wage in Germany will be raised to 12 euros per hour
February 24, 2022, 8:43 am

Minimum wage in Germany will be raised to 12 euros per hour

Euro banknotes (File photo: Pixabay)

The Xinhua reported, the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs announced on Wednesday, the minimum wage in Germany is to be raised from 9.82 euros to 12 euros (13.56 U.S. dollars) an hour in October this year.

The country's governing parties had already agreed on the one-time increase in their coalition agreement after the federal election last year. In addition, the salary threshold for so-called "mini-jobs" is to be raised from 450 euros to 520 euros.

"A poverty-proof minimum wage is a question of getting paid fairly depending on your performance, and of respect for honest work," said Hubertus Heil, Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs. "More than six million hard-working people will benefit from the increase, in particular in eastern Germany, and above all women."

Heidelberg is a town on the Neckar River in southwestern Germany. It’s known for venerable Heidelberg University, founded in the 14th century (File photo: Pixabay)

The current minimum wage in Germany has only been in effect since the beginning of January, and is regularly being increased by a dedicated commission. The next increase, to 10.45 euros, is planned for July.

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Of the six Western European euro countries, Germany has the lowest minimum wage at the moment, according to the Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI). After the increase to 12 euros, the country will move up to second place behind Luxembourg.

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.