Michael Sommer, leader of the DGB union confederation, has identified action on low pay as a priority for 2006 and wants to see the government provide legal minimum wages across the economy. This might mean giving collective agreements wider applicability in sectors where they are already negotiated. However, Sommer also acknowledges that this will not work and direct intervention in the form of legal minimum rates would be necessary. For the DGB a key issue remains that any legal minimum should not interfere in the unions' right to collective bargaining.
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Union leader calls for government action on minimum wages
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