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Press Release No. 51/2012 IG Metall Supports Thuringia’s Minimum Wage Initiative

IG-Metall-Fahnen
Foto: IG Metall

20 September 2012 20 September 2012

Frankfurt am Main – IG Metall has described the Thuringian state government’s Bundesrat initiative for a minimum wage as a major opportunity. “It is time to finally overcome partisan barriers. Where there are no collective bargaining agreements setting a minimum wage, we need a minimum wage that people can live on,” said Detlef Wetzel, Second Chairman of IG Metall, on Thursday in Frankfurt. He added that the Thuringian state government’s initiative is an important step in the right direction, one that the other states in the Bundesrat should support.

“Where employers shirk their responsibilities by circumventing collective bargaining agreements, collective bargaining standards do not apply. Politicians must take action here,” Wetzel demanded. Nearly one in four workers is currently employed in the low-wage sector, and precarious employment is on the rise despite a high demand for skilled workers. “We need a new order in the labor market that restores value to work. Anything else is undignified,” said Wetzel.


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