Living wage
As a living wage , English "living wage", a family is income or a wage understood at the level that ensures not the mere physical survival, but the existence including social and cultural participation.
The living wage is conceptually different from the minimum wage , as this formulates a statutory lower wage limit. Living wages and minimum wages can coincide.
term
The term living wage comes from the teaching of the physiocracy . The wages of the (farm) laborer are based on their reproductive costs as a living wage, the remaining surplus value is the basic rent . In the 19th century this concept was further developed as the Iron Wage Act . According to this, the proletarian in capitalism only receives a living wage. The remaining surplus value goes to the capitalists as profit.
history
The story of a living wage goes back to Adam Smith . According to some interpreters, Smith takes the position that those who work should receive a fair amount for the work they do, that it goes beyond mere subsistence, and that such wages result in fairness and social cohesion as well as economic growth.
Various (mostly Marxist) theorists formulated impoverishment theories according to which the wages in capitalism would systematically approach the subsistence level. However, this was not confirmed. The wage share , apart from minor fluctuations, rose to up to 70% by the 1970s. In general, however, the wage share in the OECD countries peaked between 1974 and 1981 and has since declined again in relation to corporate profits, especially in Europe and Japan, but is still well above the level in early capitalism.
Current situation
In many emerging and developing countries, the statutory minimum wages, if they exist, are so low that the livelihood of employees and their families cannot be guaranteed. In large textile production countries such as Bangladesh or the Philippines this is e.g. B. the case. Trade unions and NGOs have long been demanding that brand companies pay a living wage and not just refer to the statutory minimum wage or the wages customary in the industry.
Even in industrialized countries, earned income can be below the subsistence level. In the USA one speaks of the working poor . In Germany, the income is on the level of socio-cultural subsistence minimum in this case increased .
The exact definition of how much money is needed for a dignified life is politically and technically controversial. See subsistence level . The European Social Charter sets the appropriate minimum wage at 68% of the respective national average wage. For Germany, the average hourly wage for 2013 is € 15.89 (gross), the appropriate hourly wage is accordingly € 10.80 (gross).
literature
- Ryan, John A. Living Wage Macmillan, New York 1906 OCLC 39046728
- Gertner, Jon, "What is a Living Wage?" , The New York Times, January 15, 2006
- Sklar, Holly; Mykyta, Laryssa; Wefald, Susan, "Raise The Floor: Wages and Policies That Work For All Of Us," 2002, South End Press. ( Online ) ISBN 0-89608-683-6
Individual evidence
- ↑ Heinz-J. Bontrup: Lohn und Profit: Volks- und Betriebswirtschaftliche Grundzüge, 2nd edition, 2008 ISBN 3486584723 , page 22 ff., Online
- ^ Clary, BJ (2009). "Smith and Living Wages: Arguments in Support of a Mandated Living Wage". American Journal of Economics and Sociology 68 (5): 1063-1084.
- ^ Clary, BJ (2009). "Smith and Living Wages: Arguments in Support of a Mandated Living Wage". American Journal of Economics and Sociology 68 (5): 1063-1084.
- ↑ Heinz-J. Bontrup: Lohn und Profit: Volks- und Betriebswirtschaftliche Grundzüge, 2nd edition, 2008 ISBN 3486584723 , page 52 ff., Online
- ↑ http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2007/01/pdf/c5.pdf IWF: The Globalization of Labor, p. 168 Over the past two decades, there has been a continued decline in the share of income that accrues to labor, especially in Europe and Japan. The income share of workers in unskilled sectors has dropped strongly while that of workers in skilled sectors has generally made small gains.