Report: 5 parties agree on minimum wage hike

The majority of the Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament, wants Minister Lodewijk Asscher of Social Affairs and Employment to submit proposals for a substantial increase in the minimum wage for young people in the short term.

A motion to increase the youth minimum wage, for young people up to the age of 23, and bring it closer to the regular minimum wage, was submitted by the D66, NU reports. It got support from the PvdA, SP, ChristenUnie and GroenLinks.

Asscher previously stated that he will come with an reaction to pleas from, among others, the youth movement Young United and FNV for a higher youth minimum wage. The Kamer is now putting some pressure on him so that he does not delay.

"I find it strange that someone of 18 now earns only 45 percent of what someone of 23 is entitled to, while people at that age are already adult", D66 parliamentarian Steven van Weyenberg said, adding that 18 year olds are allowed to vote and drive, but not yet entitled to adult minimum wage.

FNV Young & United told NU that they are very pleased that the Kamer approved this motion. "A historic step, enforced by months of actions by young people of Young & United, but we are not there yet", FNV director Gijs van Dijk said.

Earlier this year, one Young & United member, 19 year old grocery bagger at Albert Heijn Soufian Afkir, caused quite a stir at a Ahold shareholders meeting with an unusual plea to abolish the youth minimum wage. He explained to the shareholders that he is an adult in all the ways that matter. He can vote, get married, drive a car, works a real job, but only gets half the pay of an adult. While everything he has to pay for is charged at full price. “This beautiful suit I am wearing, I can only pay for half of it with my hourly wage. And Mr. Boer, that looks like this.” Afkir said, before he started undressing.