If the minimum wage in Germany were increased to 15 euros an hour, strawberry producer Enno Glantz sees the production of local fruits threatened. He thinks that consumers do not pay “14 euros for a kilo”.
Is the end of German strawberries imminent? In an interview with “Spiegel”, strawberry producer Enno Glantz warned that the increase in the minimum wage to 15 euros proposed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz could significantly increase the price of strawberries.
Glantz said labor costs accounted for two-thirds of costs and an increase in the minimum wage could cause strawberry prices to rise by up to 30 percent. “Strawberries would become a luxury item,” he tells “Spiegel”. He conjures up a price per pound of up to six euros for the sweet fruit. In the supermarket you can find foreign products for up to two euros.
Glantz assumed that such a price increase would encourage consumers to buy cheaper products from abroad. He feared that Spanish strawberries in particular, which were already significantly cheaper, could become even more attractive.
He also expressed concerns in “Spiegel” that a higher minimum wage requirement could lead other wage groups to also demand more money. “And that just doesn’t work,” says Glantz. He believes that he can no longer be competitive with other countries where the minimum wage is significantly lower.
Glantz suggested in “Spiegel” a two-part minimum wage, in which work subject to social insurance contributions would be billed on the basis of the gross wage and short-term or minor work would be billed on the basis of a lower net minimum wage.
He argues that this would leave both groups of workers with approximately the same amount per hour. With him it is also possible for fast pickers to bring the amount required for the day to light in a short time and thus sometimes even earn significantly higher hourly wages than 15 euros.
In fact, according to the Federal Statistical Office, the minimum wage in Germany is the fourth highest in all of Europe. In Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Ireland, employees earn significantly more, ranging from 12.70 euros to 14.86 euros per hour.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) recently reiterated his demand to increase the minimum wage to 15 euros. He believes that “someone who makes an effort must be treated properly – and a decent wage is part of that,” Scholz told “Phoenix.”
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