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Poland aims to hike minimum wage, but less than planned

15.09.2020 06:45
The Polish government is planning to raise the minimum wage to PLN 2,800 (EUR 630, USD 747) a month next year, a deputy minister has confirmed.
Image by Henryk Niestrój from Pixabay
Image by Henryk Niestrój from Pixabay Pixabay licence

Previously a hike had been planned to PLN 3,000 a month, public broadcaster Polish Radio reported.

Deputy Family, Labour and Social Policy Minister Alina Nowak said the coronavirus epidemic and an economic slowdown had caused a change of plan.

“We are trying to set the minimum wage so that it doesn’t have a negative impact on the economy. That’s the priority for us,” Nowak said.

She added: “Half a year ago we were in a completely different situation. When there was no pandemic we could talk about a minimum wage of PLN 3,000 a month.”

The country’s minimum monthly wage rose to PLN 2,600 at the start of this year, from PLN 2,250 in 2019.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Polish economy contracted 8.2 percent in the second quarter of this year, the country’s Central Statistical Office (GUS) said last month.

The average gross Polish monthly wage in July was PLN 5,381, according to the state-run statistics agency.

(pk/gs)

Source: Polish Radio