By Syndicated Content
By Joseph Nasr
BERLIN (Reuters) â German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz vowed on Sunday to raise the minimum wage after national elections in September, hoping for support from about 10 million low-paid workers to help his Social Democrats (SPD) avoid a bruising third place.
Scholz made the promise in a speech to SPD delegates who voted for him as their centre-left partyâs candidate for chancellor.
His party is lagging both the Greens and Chancellor Angela Merkelâs conservatives in polls and is forecast to suffer its worst ever election result.
âI will push for a minimum wage of 12 euros during my first year as chancellor,â Scholz said. âThis means a wage increase for some 10 million employees so they can at least afford a bit more.â