Where are we with that minimum wage? More and more countries have introduced the minimum wage, Italy is one of the very few countries that has not discussed it. Europe is moving towards quality and dignity at work and this goes beyond the recognition of a guaranteed minimum wage. Minimum wages vary from state to state and depend entirely on national economic performance. That is why the minimum wage in Germany is higher than in Estonia, for example.
Obviousness aside, many wonder why Italy still insists on no minimum wage today. According to the Meloni government, the minimum wage it’s a way of pretending to deal with social issues, and at the same time it’s unsuccessful compared to collective bargaining, to use Meloni’s words last month. A motivation supported by the government’s actions, such as the Dignity Decree introduced on May 1st, Labor and Worker’s Day, which further reduces taxes on labor.
So is the debate about the minimum wage in Italy over?
Minimum wage in Europe: an important signal
In Europe, almost all countries have introduced it minimum wage. Only Italy, Austria, Denmark, Finland and Sweden were out of competition. In other countries, on the other hand, you can count on the minimum wage, which varies depending on the cost of living and economic output.
The countries that have introduced the minimum wage can be divided into at least two groups. On the one hand those who exceed i 1,500 euros per monthon the other hand, those who have a minimum monthly salary less than 1,500 euros. For example, countries with minimum wages above €1,500 per month include Luxembourg, Germany (which has reached €14 per hour), Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and France; while the countries with salaries under 1,500 euros are Slovenia and Spain. There are also countries with minimum wages less than 1,000 euros per month, some of which are also the countries where wages have grown the most in recent decades. Among these we find: Cyprus, Portugal, Malta, Lithuania (average increase of 11.2%), Greece, Poland, Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Latvia, Romania (average increase of 14.4%), and Hungary Bulgaria (average increase 9.7%).
Minimum wage in Italy: It’s really over (for the time being).
In Italy there is minimum wage, but not as intense as a guaranteed minimum wage. The work is simply paid little, the minimum. It is estimated that 18.4% of the 23.3 million male and female workers earn less than 9 euros gross per hour. But according to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the minimum wage would “create worse situations than the ones we have today”. The worst situations Meloni is referring to are not clear, but we do know that the worst situation is the current one, with salaries growing in comparison to those that are not effectively cost of livingwhich puts many workers on the verge of ‘bad work’.
The debate about minimum wage there is none except to block them and for the time being with the Meloni government there is no horizon in which Italy will level with most European countries. Maybe we’ll talk about the minimum wage again in the future, who knows, certainly not now.