The Minimum Inter-branch Wage has long been extended in many Western countries and, above all, in the European Union, with the aim of guaranteeing basic access for workers. The economic elite and the official thinkers regard the minimum wage levels as an obstacle to the employability of the unemployed and as an obstacle that increases unemployment. In his view, the higher the minimum wage, the more difficult it is to create jobs and thus to reduce unemployment.

The level of the minimum wage and its consequences depend on the country’s wage model. The minimum wage of the French State is the highest in Europe, where 61% of the median wage is the lowest wage. At the lower end is Czech Republic, with a deficit of 36%. In the Spanish State, the minimum wage of EUR 655 is 41% of that country’s average wage. Being the highest salaries in Hego Euskal Herria, the line would roll 36%, far from France, therefore. After a long struggle, just over a year ago the minimum wage has begun to be applied in Germany. The legal minimum wage is EUR 1,473 per month, equivalent to that of France, but relatively lower, which is 50% of its median wage http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat.

The application of the minimum wage questions the arguments of the neoliberal views that are against it in the analysis of the first impact in Germany. 17% of the country’s employees are under the effect of the minimum wage, especially those with reduced and partial activity, but also 10% of the total time.

The introduction of the minimum wage has put an upward pressure on the rest of wages, particularly in the case of services in ordinary activities and in low-skilled professions. Moreover, this wage increase has had no impact on inflation, as prices have not increased appreciably. Thus, the minimum wage in 2015 has been the highest real wage increase in Germany over the last 15 years.

It is still too early to determine the full impact of this measure on employment in Germany. Job losses were expected in most official estimates. The government talked about the loss of one hundred thousand jobs and the Neoliberal Info Institute raised its estimate to one and a half million. However, employment has continued to rise by 2% in 2015, despite the fact that minijobs have been reduced by 1.7% due to the fixing of the minimum wage. In addition, unemployment continues to fall in Germany. In short, these wage and employment increases have changed the main cause of GDP growth: the consumption of domestic economies is the main driving force above foreign markets.

Germany’s experience is a good lesson in combating wage poverty, which affects women in particular. The European Social Charter, signed by the Spanish State in 1980, places the poverty threshold at 60% of the average disposable income. If this milestone were to be applied in Hego Euskal Herria, the minimum wage would be about 1,200 euros. That is the basis demanded by the Basque trade union majority. This single measure may not be sufficient to combat wage poverty, but its implementation would contribute greatly to the achievement of this objective. In addition to justice, it could be a dynamic factor in the fight against the deterioration and recession of the labour market, as the German model shows.