Overview

• The independent panel must set the 2026 minimum wage by June 30 with the current rate at €12.82 per hour.
• The SPD, Greens and Left parties are calling for a €15 hourly wage to meet the EU’s requirement of at least 60% of the median full-time pay.
• Employer groups in construction, logistics and retail warn that a sharp rise could drive up costs and risk job losses.
• IG Metall leader Christiane Benner and Labor Minister Bärbel Bas have urged a consensual outcome to preserve the commission’s independence.
• Several economic associations have warned against political interference even as the SPD threatens to bypass the commission and impose its demand by law.