The German Parliament voted today to set the country’s first national minimum wage, 8.5 euros, which is $11.60 per hour. The new minimum wage will be phased in starting next year.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government supported the move at the insistence of her government coalition partners, the center-left Social Democrats. The minimum wage passed over arguments that it would hurt Germany’s economy, which is Europe’s largest.
The BBC’s Steve Evans joins s Jeremy Hobson from Berlin with an update.
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Guest
- Steve Evans, Berlin correspondent for the BBC. He tweets @EvanstheAirwave.
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