Labor Minister proposes a raise of the net minimum monthly wage to 638.42 euros

The unions are not satisfied

15. januar 2018 ob 21.21 • Ljubljana - MMC RTV SLO

The amount of the increase for almost 34,000 recipients of the minimum wage will be known no later than the last day of January, because the wages paid out in February will already be higher. Foto: BoBo

The minimum wage is going up. Labor Minister Anja Kopač Mrak has recommend a 4.7-percent increase, which is 842 euros gross. Late this week, the social partners will discuss the proposal. As expected, the employers consider the proposals to be unreasonable, while the labor unions believe that the minimum wage could be higher than what the minister has proposed.

Currently, the minimum net monthly wage is 613 euros, while the minister's proposal would raise it to 638 euros. If the proposal is approved, more than 33,000 employees who currently received the minimum wage would get a raise. In addition to inflation, Kopač Mrak also considered the economic trends of the past few years and the forecasts for economic growth to continue.

Meanwhile, labor unions are convinced that the minimum wage should be increased by five to six percent. According to Lidija Jerkič of the Association of Free Trade Unions of Slovenia, the minimum wage is not the main problem. Instead, they would like to see the pay grade scale changed to ensure "fair wages for fair work."

The amount of the increase for almost 34,000 recipients of the minimum wage will be known no later than the last day of January, because the wages paid out in February will already be higher.