Gov't tables proposal to raise minimum salary to PLN 2,000

The Council of Ministers on Tuesday approved a proposal to raise the minimum monthly salary to PLN 2,000 in 2017, a hike of 8.1 percent from PLN 1,850 in 2017. The proposition is higher than the Labor Ministry had opted for and it has also surprised unions, which pushed for a raise of the  minimum salary to PLN 1,970 in 2017. "Driven by the responsibility for the state budget, the financial situation and the fate of Polish citizens, thinking about the dignity of Polish citizens, the government has decided that next year the minimum salary will amount to  PLN 2,000," said Prime Minister Beata Szydło. Labor Minister Elżbieta Rafalska expressed her satisfaction that the proposed sum is higher than she hoped for. "Raising the minimum salary is very good news for Poles," she said. Now the project will go to the Social Dialogue Council, consisting of representatives of unions and employers' associations. Should they fail to work out a compromise, the governmental proposal will go through. Meanwhile, Rafalska said that Poland is considering introducing a minimum hourly wage of PLN 13, and not PLN 12 as it was earlier said.