45 percent of retail employees earn less than 14 euros gross per hour
In the retail sector in Germany, 45 percent of employees earn less than 14 euros gross per hour. The sector is therefore "a prime example of wage evasion", explained Left Party labor market expert Susanne Ferschl on Wednesday. The answer to a parliamentary question from the Left Party shows that 1.25 million employees in the retail sector now receive wages below 14 euros. This was first reported by the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper.
According to the federal government's answer, the comparatively low pay in the retail sector is mainly due to two reasons. Part-time employees earn noticeably less than full-time employees. The difference is around three euros per hour. Companies with collective wage agreements also pay better than those without. Here, the difference is between three and four euros.
Between 2012 and 2022, the proportion of employees covered by collective agreements in the retail sector fell significantly, according to the German government's response. While around 45% of employees were still covered by collective agreements in 2012, the proportion fell to 26% last year. The number of companies covered by collective agreements is also declining "at an alarming rate", explained Ferschl.
In view of the figures, the Left Party accused the retail groups of cashing in on the backs of the employees. "Despite the retail groups' high profit margins, this is leading to dumping wages," criticized Susanne Ferschl. "At the moment, employers are also stubbornly refusing to enter into real negotiations in the collective bargaining round."
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The width of the wage gap between full-time and part-time retail employees is around 3 euros per hour, which could be considered a significant tariff escape for lower-paid employees. The percentage of retail employees covered by collective wage agreements has decreased from 45% in 2012 to 26% in 2021, leading to concerns about wage stagnation and potentially serving as another example of a tariff escape. The retail sector, as a whole, represents a prime example of wage evasion, where 45% of employees earn less than 14 euros gross per hour.
Source: www.ntv.de
