Parliamentary elections: Parties have no concrete plan yet for minimum wage

Social security is one of the main issues in the election campaign for the parliamentary elections, and this is also reflected in the election manifestos. Many parties want to ensure that workers on low incomes are better able to make ends meet thanks to the minimum wage. However, their proposals vary and are by no means all equally concrete.

The VVD, for example, believes that "one should be able to make ends meet with a full-time job" and that the minimum wage should therefore be increased. However, the party does not specify an amount. The CDA demands an "appropriate increase", but also leaves open how high this should be. The BBB wants to raise the minimum wage "in the long term" and take into account "the increased cost of living", but also does not say how much.

GroenLinks-PvdA does name a specific amount in the first joint program: 16 euros per hour. This corresponds to 60 percent of the average gross wage. This means that the left-wing combination wants the same as its election rival, the SP, which is also calling for 16 euros per hour. The left-wing parties agree that this should apply to everyone aged 18 and over. Currently, the youth minimum wage still applies up to the age of 21, which is half the "adult" minimum wage for 18-year-olds.

The Christian Union also wants to raise the minimum wage to 60 percent of the median wage. This would raise it to almost 18 euros per hour by 2028, according to the Christian party. D66 is also looking at the same year, which is usually the last one decided by the next Cabinet. The Social Liberals want the minimum wage to be "at least" 17.50 euros per hour by then.

Pieter Omtzigt's Nieuw Sociaal Contract (NSC) party also wants to "reassess" the minimum wage, according to its election manifesto. The party believes that the income of working people should at least be sufficient to cover their basic needs. How high this amount should be, however, is not made clear. The NSC also wants to work towards making basic services such as food, energy, and housing more affordable.

The BVNL recognizes that a higher minimum wage makes work more attractive. However, the party does not want employers to pay for this alone and is in favor of a relatively modest increase to 14 euros per hour. In addition, lower taxes should help to make work more worthwhile. Incidentally, the BVNL agrees with the left-wing parties that people over 18 should receive the full minimum wage.

Of the parties that address the minimum wage in their election manifestos, only JA21 does not want to see an increase. The party fears that this would further fuel inflation. The SGP does not mention the minimum wage, but advocates tax cuts to improve the situation of workers at the lower end of the labor market. The word does not appear in the manifesto of the Forum voor Democratie either.

The statutory minimum wage will be raised to 13.27 euros per hour on January 1, 2024. Shortly before the election break, the Tweede Kamer approved a proposal from GroenLinks-PvdA and ChristenUnie that provided for a modest additional increase in the middle of the year, in addition to the usual adjustment based on the average increase in collectively agreed wages.