Minimum wage discussion: Adexa warns against “Sunday speeches”

The statutory minimum wage is to increase in two steps to €14.60 per hour by 2027. This is stipulated in a resolution of the Minimum Wage Commission. In its election manifesto, the SPD advocated a minimum wage of at least €15 starting in 2026, based on EU guidelines.

Andreas May, chairman of the pharmacy union Adexa, criticized the fact that there is an "ever-widening gap" between the demands and financial recognition of pharmacy teams' compensation in light of the current minimum wage proposal. He stated that salaries "often inadequately reflect the teams' performance."

This is particularly evident for PKAs. According to the collective wage agreement between Adexa and the Employers' Association of German Pharmacists (ADA), the gross salary for PKAs in their first year of employment is €2,306 – equivalent to an hourly wage of approximately €13.64. "The salaries are only slightly above the current statutory minimum wage of €12.82," May stated in the press release. PTAs receive €2,569 gross per month in their first year of employment, corresponding to an hourly wage of approximately €15.20.

"Given rising living costs and the now foreseeable increase in the minimum wage to €13.90 starting in January 2026 and €14.60 at the beginning of 2027, this level of pay is more than problematic," May said. Considering the 3.0 percent collective wage increase agreed upon with the ADA for 2026, PKA entrants would then only be paid 15 cents above the statutory minimum wage. The gap would thus be significantly smaller.

The Adexa board pointed out that "the scope for real wage increases" is limited. The economic situation of many pharmacies is strained. Adexa negotiates the collective wage agreement with the ADA, the Saxon Pharmacists' Association, and the TGL North Rhine.

However, real growth will only be achieved with the necessary structural reforms. May warned against "Sunday speeches" here. Despite promises and praise for pharmacies, there have been no fundamental changes so far. "Without real reforms, however, we face not only staffing shortages, but also a gradual dismantling of community-based healthcare," May warned.

Against this backdrop, he again proposed the 80-cent staff supplement on pharmacy fees demanded by Adexa. This would be an "important building block." May emphasized: "This would also make it clear that a specific portion of the remuneration is earmarked directly for pharmacy employees." May had already presented the proposal to the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) last summer .