THE MINIMUM wage for employees working in Slovakia increased by 4.1 percent to €307.70 per month on January 1, in line with a government decision made last October, the TASR newswire reported.
The Labour Ministry originally planned to increase last year’s minimum wage of €295.50 per month by 8.1 percent, as proposed by the trade unions. The tripartite partners met several times to negotiate the issue, beginning last August, but were unable to reach an agreement and the government then decided to mandate the increase at 4.1 percent.
“I insist that this [increase] shouldn’t have the sort of impact that could cause a problem,” said Labour Minister Viera Tomanová, adding that the government is protecting the most vulnerable group of citizens that work for the minimum wage.
The original proposal for an 8.1 percent increase was divided to cover a two-year period, 2010-2011. “If the level of the minimum wage isn’t agreed on by the social partners, the increase in 2011 will reach another 4 percent above the level of the minimum wage that will be in place,” Tomanová told TASR.
11. Jan 2010 at 0:00 | Compiled by Spectator staff
