Germany: Court rejects postal services minimum wage

Regulations setting minimum wage rates in the postal sector, introduced in the wake of heated debate within the ruling social democrat-conservative coalition, were once again the source of controversy in March 2008, following a ruling by a local administrative court in Berlin.

A decree that came into force in January 2008 introduced a minimum wage for sorting and delivery staff in the postal sector by bringing them within the scope of the Posted Workers Law (Entsendegesetz), the legal instrument used to set binding minimum rates in designated industries.