Sheltered-Workshop Worker Sues for Full Minimum Wage, Testing Germany's Labor Exceptions
Published on 07/08/2026 at 03:12 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
A legal case filed in Münster in May is challenging whether Germany's minimum-wage law applies to the roughly 300,000 people working in sheltered workshops for people with disabilities (WfbM). The plaintiff, employed by one such facility, is demanding €13.90 per hour — the full statutory minimum wage that took effect at the start of 2026. Workers in WfbMs are currently classified as "employee-like persons" and often receive far less. The lawsuit cites potential discrimination under EU law and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. A ruling could reshape wage obligations across the sector.
Meanwhile, the most visible wage-floor increases this year came on July 1 in the nursing industry. New minimum hourly rates apply immediately: €16.52 for untrained nursing assistants, €17.80 for qualified assistants, and €21.03 for registered nurses. A further adjustment is scheduled for July 2027. The rising labour costs are pushing up the co-payments residents must pay for residential care; as of early 2026, that monthly average stood at €3,245. Germany's long-term care insurance fund is already facing a projected financing gap of at least €2 billion in 2026.
Beyond nursing, several other sectors are adjusting pay floors. In eastern Germany's agriculture and forestry sector, wages rose retroactively by 3.3 percent on May 1, with additional increases scheduled for 2027 and 2028. The stonemasonry trade in the North-West federation lifted its standard hourly rate to €19.21, also retroactive to June 1. The construction industry completed its long-running convergence of pay between east and west as of April 1.
The national statutory minimum wage — now €13.90 — will climb to €14.60 on January 1, 2027. That two-stage trajectory follows a recommendation from Germany's Minimum Wage Commission handed down in June 2025, which the cabinet confirmed last autumn. The national framework also sits alongside a November 2025 ruling from the European Court of Justice that kept the EU's minimum-wage directive largely intact, despite invalidating certain provisions.
Labour disputes are heating up across two major industries. In retail, the third round of collective bargaining is scheduled for July 8 in Sindelfingen. The ver.di union is demanding a €300 monthly pay increase. Employers have so far offered a 2.0 percent raise starting in October. Wholesale trade negotiators meet in Stuttgart on July 10, with union demands pegged at 7.0 percent or at least €250 more per month. Roughly 3,000 workers took part in warning strikes between late June and early July.
Separately, negotiations began July 6 in Berlin for Germany's printing industry, which employs about 99,000 people. The union is seeking a 7.0 percent pay hike. The Federal Association of Print and Media is pushing back, citing the strained economic climate. A peace obligation expires August 31, 2026, opening the door to potential industrial action.
The federal government has also advanced a package of labour-law changes, approved in early July. Sick notes will now be required from the first day of illness, ending the practice of telephone-based certification. Fixed-term contracts without specific cause can now run up to 48 months. High earners with annual salaries above €177,500 will see reduced protection against dismissal. Small and medium-sized enterprises are to receive compliance relief under the General Data Protection Regulation.
All this wage movement is colliding with fast-rising living costs. In Hamburg, rents have jumped more than 20 percent over the past three years, while real wages have grown by only about 5.1 percent over the same period. In Munich, the average cold rent now stands at €21.44 per square metre — a figure that puts the new nursing wage of €21.03 an hour into stark perspective.
Disclaimer regarding our articles: No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Information on prices, companies, and markets is provided without guarantee; changes are possible at any time. Stock market transactions can lead to substantial losses. Our articles are created and reviewed in whole or in part automatically with the support of AI.
