Collective bargaining on the annual hike in the minimum wage for 2012 are underway, with employers hoping to keep things as they are, while the trade unions are starting their negotiations with the demand for a 4.1% hike.
The trade unions are basing their figure on worse economic conditions for the population, pointing to the growth in average salaries, consumer prices and rising prices of goods and services thanks to the effects of government austerity measures. They are also saying that the real wages of employees have dropped because of a higher tax burden.
With no agreement between employers and employees, the Ministry of Labour has to step in as an intermediary, and so it will compile its own figures and open them up to discussion with the tripartite partners. some projections say the ministry will propose increasing the current minimum monthly wage of EUR 317 to EUR 327.