The Dutch Senate is considering a bill by the PvdA and GroenLinks to establish an hourly minimum wage instead of a monthly minimum wage. This would mean that people who work more hours earn more. Entrepreneurs fear the higher wage costs will cause business closures and launched a petition calling for lower employers’ costs, the Financieele Dagblad reports.
The Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate, will debate the proposal by parliamentarians Barbara Kathmann (PvdA) and Senna Maatoug (GroenLinks) on Tuesday. They want to calculate the minimum wage per hour instead of the current fixed monthly amount and base it on a 36-hour work week instead of a 38-hour one from the beginning of 2024.
At the start of this year, the minimum wage increased by 10.14% to 1,934.40 euros per month. The amount is based on a 38-hour work week. In practice, minimum wage earners get 1,934.40 euros per month whether they work 36 or 40 hours a week. If the Eerste Kamer approves the GroenLinks and PvdA proposal, someone who works 40 hours a week will receive 2,149.33 euros per month, over 10 percent more than is currently the case.
That is too much, according to shopkeepers, hairdressers, and security companies who will protest at the Eerste Kamer during the debate on the proposal. “We are already spending considerably more on rent, purchasing, and energy. And now there are the explosively rising minimum wages. Lately, my margin and income have dropped by 5 to 10 percent. And that is without the effects of...
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