The Left party calls for a minimum wage of 15 euros while proposing a salary cap as well.
The Left Party in Europe is pushing for a minimum wage of 15 euros, a limit on salaries, and the abolition of private health insurance to address poverty and social inequality. Party leader Martin Schirdewan emphasized that poverty and inequality have been largely ignored for years. In their five-point plan, the party claims that everyone in Europe is at risk of poverty.
To tackle this issue, the Left Party advocates for a hike in the legal minimum wage to 15 euros while implementing a salary cap. According to their proposal, the highest earners in a company should not receive more than twenty times the salary of the lowest-paid group. The gap between top executives and low-skilled workers is deemed unjustifiable by the party.
In addition, they advocate for a European-wide minimum income, which would ensure that all citizens enjoy a minimum standard of living. Germany's minimum social benefit of 1,250 euros is proposed as the lower limit for all welfare payments.
They also advocate for European-wide minimum healthcare standards and the termination of private health insurance in Germany. The plan states that everyone should pay into the public health insurance system, and all incomes should be covered.
Fighting child poverty is another key area for the Left Party, and they suggest introducing a child allowance of 630 euros per month. As an interim measure, they propose increasing the child benefit to 328 euros per month and offering additional payments based on a child's age (up to 302 euros). To ensure affordable housing for children, they also request a cap on rents and an increase in the supply of social housing. Furthermore, a program should be implemented offering free lunch at kindergartens and schools.
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The Left Party's five-point plan also includes advocating for a European-wide salary cap, ensuring no executive earns more than twenty times the lowest-paid group's salary. Additionally, they propose a review of the five-point plan, considering the impact of the proposed salary cap on industry competitiveness under the EU's five-euro salary cap framework.
Source: www.ntv.de
