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Schwerin (dpa / mv) - According to surveys by the German Trade Union Federation (DGB), more than a third of employees in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania work for less than 12 euros an hour.
“Wages below 12 euros must be a thing of the past.
They create working poverty and deprive many employees in the low-wage sector of the possibility of a sufficient pension in old age, "criticized DGB-Nord boss Uwe Polkaehn.
In a message distributed on Sunday, he called for the minimum wage to be raised to 12 euros per hour.
The statutory lower wage limit is currently 9.35 euros.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania must use the current review of the minimum wage law to put pressure in the Federal Council.
Before the end of this legislative period, i.e. by summer at the latest, the legislators should set the course for a rapid increase to 12 euros per hour.
In Polkaehn's view, a political change of course is overdue, "in order to increase the collective bargaining agreement again and to raise the level of the minimum wage significantly."
In addition, controls should be tightened.
There are still too many criminal employers who would bypass the statutory minimum wage themselves.
"Every employer must be clear: Fraud about the minimum wage is not a trivial offense," warned Polkaehn.
According to him, women are particularly affected by low wages.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a good 41 percent of female employees would get less than 12 euros per hour.