holiday jobs
Kühnert wants to abolish the age exception for the minimum wage
A student works in an ice cream parlor during the holidays. photo
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
Many students use the holidays to supplement their pocket money with a summer job. The SPD general secretary demands that the minimum wage should also apply to them. He not only reaps encouragement.
When young people during their summer vacation holiday job, they are exempt from the minimum wage. SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert has now spoken out in favor of abolishing this regulation for the statutory minimum wage for underage holiday jobbers.
“The exception to the minimum wage for under-18s is an unjustifiable distortion,” said Kühnert of the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten”: “We should abolish it as soon as possible.” In this way, more justice can be created for many holiday jobbers.
The DGB supports the proposal
“The 16-year-old who brings beer mugs to the tables in the beer garden does exactly the same valuable work as the 20-year-old who does it,” said Kühnert. The minimum wage is a question of respect for the work done – regardless of age.
Kühnert received support for his claim from the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). “We expressly welcome the proposal. The minimum wage must apply to all working people, without exception,” said the DGB Federal Youth Secretary Kristof Becker. The discriminatory exception for minors in the minimum wage must finally go away, and holiday jobs must also be paid fairly.
No false incentives should be set
The German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga) pointed out that there is an exception to the minimum wage for minors so that young people are not given false incentives to rely on jobs for unskilled workers instead of vocational training. “It is more important than ever that young people invest their time and energy in their education and thus provide for their own future,” said Dehoga Managing Director Sandra Warden. 2.6 million people under the age of 35 have no professional qualifications: “Your risk of later unemployment is high.”
The Union suggests a percentage gradation. The labor market expert of the parliamentary group, Kai Whittaker (CDU), told the “Rheinische Post”: “On the one hand, minors cannot have the qualification level of older people, on the other hand, they should not have to work for outrageously low wages either.” A percentage gradation of the minimum wage for minors would therefore make sense. This would neither devalue professional qualifications nor create obstacles to promoting the potential of young people. In principle, the following must continue to apply: “Equal pay for the same work with the same qualifications.”
The Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) is appealing for the regulation to be adhered to. “There are exceptions for people under the age of 18 who have not completed vocational training. They should not be put on an equal footing with a skilled worker,” said BDA general manager Steffen Kampeter. The exception makes sense in order to strengthen the willingness to start an apprenticeship. That is also the reason for the special regulation contained in the Minimum Wage Act.
The statutory minimum wage in Germany is currently 12 euros per hour. From 2024, according to the proposal of the responsible commission, it should increase to 12.41 euros and from January 1, 2025 it will be 12.82 euros.