German employers get creative to skirt new minimum wage

德企脑洞大开避付最低工资

German employers get creative to skirt new minimum wage

From charging slaughterhouse workers for their knives to compensating staff with tanning salon vouchers, German employers are coming up with creative ways to avoid paying a new minimum wage, angering unions.

从对屠宰场的屠夫收取刀子使用费到用美黑沙龙（tanning salon）代金券做员工补贴,德国的雇主们为了不支付最低工资,想出了许多有创意的方式,这一行为也激怒了工会.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government introduced Germany's first nationwide wage floor of 8.50 euros per hour early this year. The law was the brainchild of the Social Democrats (SPD), who made it a condition of joining Merkel's coalition in 2013.

今年年初,德国总理安吉拉•默克尔（Angela Merkel）领导的政府出台首个全国最低工资标准,为每小时8.50欧元.这项法案由社会民主党在2013年提出,并以此作为与默克尔联合执政的条件.

The centre-left party argued that it was a necessary response to the sharp rise in low-wage jobs over the past decade. Some 3.7 million people were expected to benefit.

中左翼党派认为,针对过去十年内涌现出大量低薪工作岗位的现象,有必要实施这一举措.约370万德国人民有望受益.

But in the months since it went into effect it has become clear that not everyone is taking home more pay. The NGG food and catering union is fielding up to 400 calls a day from people who say their employers are finding ways to circumvent the law.

但事实证明,这项法律生效的几个月后,并不是每个人都能拿到更多的工资.德国食品餐饮公会（NGG）的员工们每天接到多达400个电话.人们表示,他们的老板正在想办法避开这项法律规定.

"We're seeing some employers display an awful lot of creativity to get round paying the minimum wage," Burkhard Siebert of the NGG said.

NGG的员工伯克哈特•西伯特（Burkhard Siebert）说："我们发现,为了逃避给员工们支付最低工资,一些雇主真是创意无穷."

He said some workers were no longer getting paid for overtime. Others are being charged for drinks and clothing they are required to wear on the job.

他还表示,很多员工加班已经不再有加班费了.还有的员工要为饮料和上班穿的工作服付费.

German Labour Minister Andrea Nahles has admitted to implementation problems but said she had not yet heard anything to suggest the law may need to be changed. The far-left Linke party say it was "botched" and contains too many loopholes.

德国劳工部长安德里亚•那勒斯（Andrea Nahles）承认,法律实施过程中出现了一些问题,但表示她并没听到任何关于需要改变这一法律的提议.极左党派"左派党"（Linke）认为这项法律很糟糕,存在许多漏洞.

Butchers have complained that they must pay a fee of up to 100 euros per month to use knives they need to cut meat. Bakers say they are being paid in buns and bread instead of cash.

屠夫们抱怨说,他们每个月必须要为切肉的刀支付高达100欧元的使用费.面包师们则表示,他们的工资是小点心和面包而不是现金.

Bernd Bischoff, who runs an advice center for contractors in the city of Oldenburg, said the meat industry was especially affected. Workers from southeast Europe were being charged more for accommodation to offset the cost of higher wages.