Because Renzi is right not to join the bandwagon on the minimum wage

The problem with low wages is not the same as with the minimum wage. Mixing the two can serve to garner (a few) applauses and act as an identity glue for a left in search of an author, but it’s not good for workers or unions

What do I sign, do I leave? The entire debate on the introduction of a minimum wage has been played out on the most inappropriate ground, ie where to place the bar. It is not surprising, then, that the agreement signed yesterday by the opposition revolves entirely and solely around the magic number (nine euros). The figure coincides with the proposals filed by Action (first signatory Matteo Richetti) and Movimento 5 stelle (Giuseppe Conte) and is less than the 9.5 euros suggested by the Democratic Party (Andrea Orlando) and the 10 euros of the Green-Left alliance ( Nicola Fratoianni and Francesco Mari). It corresponds to about 75 percent of the median wage: if it were approved, only two OECD countries would have a higher threshold (Colombia and Chile). But, above all, the quantum should be the point of arrival, not the starting point: in countries that have a law on minimum wages, such as Germany, it is generally a technical decision, not a political one, and it is certainly not engraved in a vote by Parliament (il Foglio, 27 June).