The council of ministers has yet to reach a final decision on the minimum wage, but Labour Minister Marc Spautz left little doubt about the direction of travel in an RTL interview. The government, he said, is likely to settle on a position before Easter.
On one point he was unequivocal: the mechanism that has been in place since the 1970s should once again apply, meaning the minimum wage should be adjusted in line with general wage developments across companies.
Spautz underscored that this principle is the very foundation on which the system rests. The starting point, he explained, is looking at what has happened in companies over the last two years, with the minimum wage adjusted to reflect that development accordingly.
The longstanding rule would also be maintained: the qualified minimum wage should remain 20% higher than the unqualified minimum wage.
The minister distanced himself firmly from calls by the crafts federation to abolish the qualified minimum wage or to forgo the next increase in the unqualified minimum wage altogether. In his view, this would be not the right way forward.
He also warned against sending the wrong signal to employees who, despite being in work, remain under financial pressure. Denying the adjustment to those who go to work every day would, he said, be the wrong message.
Spautz acknowledged the concerns of businesses, particularly those where a large proportion of staff are on the social minimum wage. Supporting companies through such adjustments was, he said, self-evident, and he confirmed that the government is currently exploring what forms of aid and measures could be put in place to safeguard competitiveness, though he stopped short of providing any specifics for the time being.
Currently, positions on the minimum wage currently remain far apart between the unions and employers. Spautz also reminded that alongside the traditional statutory adjustments, the European Minimum Wage Directive must be transposed into national law, a process that includes drawing up an action plan to secure more collective agreements, all of which are points currently under discussion with social partners.
On this point, Spautz repeated his call for a return to the tripartite format, arguing that the current bilateral talks between the government and either employers or unions are not enough in the long run. Getting all parties back around the same table, he said, is the only way to reach the compromises that the country, its competitiveness and its workforce all require.
For all the tensions currently running between the social partners, Spautz wrapped up on a cautiously optimistic note. He cited a constructive meeting at the AI roundtable on Thursday, stressing that even as artificial intelligence reshapes the working world, the interests of both businesses and employees must be kept equally in mind.
Investment in training, he added, will be key to helping people find their footing in the labour market over the longer term.
