Germany: Dispute continues over postal services sector minimum wage

The issue of setting a legally binding minimum wage for the postal services sector caused considerable strain within Germany’s conservative-social democrat coalition government in November 2007

A minimum wage for postal workers of €8.40 per hour (€8 in east Germany) was negotiated in September 2007, with delivery staff entitled to at least €9.80 per hour (€9 in east Germany). This move was initiated by Deutsche Post AG, the former state-owned postal and logistics organisation, which also prompted the creation of a new employers’ association for the sector, in advance of liberalisation of the postal services market on 1 January 2008.