300,000 Disabled Workers in Germany Earn Two Euros an Hour — Rights Groups Demand Reform

Around 283,000 people with disabilities in Germany work in sheltered workshops (Werkstätten für behinderte Menschen) and earn an average of €233 per month — equivalent to under two euros per hour. This is legal because workshop employees are classified as having an "employee-like legal relationship" rather than ordinary employment status, placing them outside minimum wage legislation. Germany's minimum wage stands at €13.90 per hour as of January 2026.

The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has called on Germany to phase out the system since 2014. Germany has repeatedly declined.

The debate gained fresh momentum on 8 May 2026, when the popular satire programme ZDF Magazin Royale revealed that its own promotional merchandise had been produced in these workshops. The episode, titled "Grundi-Gate: Ausbeutung Made in Germany", went viral and prompted demands for reform from politicians, trade unions, and civil society.

Civil liberties organisation GFF (Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte) has launched legal proceedings challenging the wage system. BMAS, the federal labour ministry, concluded a dialogue process on reform in May 2026.

Private initiatives — including projects based in Dortmund — show that genuinely inclusive employment with full wages is achievable, but these models have yet to be scaled nationally.

Sources: BAG WfbM, ZDF Magazin Royale, GFF, BMAS, kobinet-nachrichten.org