Düsseldorf Labour Court, 20.04.2015, Ref. 5 Ca 1675/15
The objective of the Minimum Wage Act must be taken into account when determining which employer payments count towards the minimum wage that has applied since January 2015.
The primary aim of the Minimum Wage Act is to prevent the payment of unreasonably low wages and to secure a monthly income "above the garnishment-free limit" for full-time employees.
It follows from this objective alone that the following payments are not to be classified as affecting the minimum wage:
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- Overtime bonuses
- Supplements for work on Sundays and public holidays
- Capital-forming benefits
- Expense allowances (travel and catering expenses, clothing and cleaning allowances)
- Road toll
- Special payments (Christmas bonus, 13th monthly salary, additional holiday pay)
- Tips
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In the case discussed here, the Düsseldorf Labour Court had to decide whether the regular payments of performance bonuses regulated in the employment contract were also to be classified as having an effect on the minimum wage.
Facts
The plaintiff had been employed by the defendant since 4 November 2013. The employment contract stipulated a basic salary of EUR 8.10 per hour, plus a voluntary performance bonus of a maximum of EUR 1.00 per hour. With the introduction of the Minimum Wage Act (MiLoG) on 1 January 2015, the defendant offered the plaintiff a contract amendment that provided for an increase in the basic remuneration to 8.50 euros and a reduction in the performance bonus to 0.60 euros. The plaintiff rejected this offer. As a result, the defendant continued to pay 8.10 euros per hour and a fixed bonus of 0.40 euros, so that the plaintiff received a bonus totalling 1.00 euro per hour.
Action brought by the plaintiff
The plaintiff argued that the bonus paid by the defendant should not be counted towards fulfilment of the statutory minimum wage. She therefore claimed the difference between the basic remuneration of 8.10 euros paid and the statutory minimum wage of 8.50 euros for the hours worked in January 2015. She brought an action before the Düsseldorf Labour Court and demanded payment of the difference to the minimum wage.
Decision of the Düsseldorf Labour Court
The Düsseldorf Labour Court dismissed the claim. It ruled that the defendant had not fallen short of the statutory minimum wage, as both the basic remuneration and the bonus could be included in the calculation of the minimum wage. The performance bonus was to be regarded as part of the salary and had a clear connection to the plaintiff's work performance. Therefore, this bonus could be counted towards the statutory minimum wage.
Court’s Reasoning
The court argued that according to the MiLoG, employees are entitled to a minimum wage of €8.50 per hour. The wording of the law refers to the entire remuneration paid in a month, not just the basic wage. The purpose of the MiLoG is to prevent unreasonably low wages and to ensure that employees earn a sufficient income to cover their living costs. It is therefore irrelevant how the remuneration components are labelled - the decisive factor is that the total income reaches the statutory minimum wage of 8.50 euros per hour.
Conclusion
The court came to the conclusion that the bonus was to be regarded as remuneration for the plaintiff's work performance and could therefore be offset against the minimum wage. As the defendant had not fallen below the statutory minimum wage through its payments overall, there was no entitlement to an additional payment.
Source: Düsseldorf Labour Court
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