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Photo: Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez / dpa
The Social Affairs Committee of the Bundestag has given the green light to increase the minimum wage to 12 euros per hour on October 1st.
The draft law by Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) was passed on Wednesday.
With the increase, the coalition also wants to raise the limit for mini-jobs from 450 to 520 euros.
From October 1st, monthly earnings up to the new limit for employees are to remain tax and social security-free.
SPD faction deputy Dagmar Schmidt told the dpa news agency: "The decision in the committee has set the course.
A minimum wage of 12 euros is a big step.« The coalition has launched relief packages and crisis measures that help people in view of the current price increases, she said.
»But at the same time it is important to stabilize incomes, because that is the basis for all employees.«
million workers affected
The deputy chairman of the Green faction, Andreas Audretsch, said: "This is a wage increase for over six million people and also in view of rising prices more important and urgent than ever." Women and people in East Germany in particular would benefit from the increase in the minimum wage.
"The decision today is also a strong sign of more justice in Germany," said Audretsch.
It was initially unclear when the draft law would be put on the agenda of the plenum for final deliberation.
But it should be done soon, it said on Wednesday from all three traffic light groups.
Audretsch said: "We will now quickly tackle the adoption in the Bundestag." The increase in the minimum wage was one of the central demands with which Olaf Scholz, as a candidate for Chancellor, went into the 2021 federal election campaign.
beb/dpa