Employers Agree with Unions on Minimum Wage Increase
The nation's largest employers' organization agreed on Wednesday to raise the minimum gross monthly salary to 320 euros next year.
The current minimum monthly salary is 290 euros, which was set at the end of last year after an increase of 12 euros or 4.3 percent.
The Employers Confederation, a group that represents 1,500 companies, decided to support the increase after a recommendation by unions in November.
“A higher minimum wage will boost internal demand and support economic growth,” Harri Taliga, chair of the Trade Union Confederation, said in a letter to the group.
The agreement will now be submitted to the government, which would have to approve it and send it to Parliament before it becomes a reality.
The Employers Confederation has also decided to open negotiations with the unions to have labor health insurance payments paid by employees, without a change to net income, similar to the way income tax is handled. According to the Employers Confederation, this change would create a greater understanding of the real costs of labor.