Why do some salary scales show amounts lower than the minimum wage?

The minimum wage will increase to around 1,502 euros net per month, an increase of 24 euros. But this increase could accentuate an already widespread phenomenon: new salary scales below the legal minimum. In France, more than nine million employees depend on professional sectors whose first minimum wage is lower than the minimum wage, according to an inventory published at the end of October by the CGT.

This represents 122 of the 200 branches studied by the union. How is this possible? In France, an employer cannot pay an employee below the minimum wage.

On the other hand, the salary scales negotiated in professional branches may display amounts lower than the legal minimum, because unlike the minimum wage, which is notably revalued according to inflation, these scales are not automatically increased. They are negotiated between unions and employers' organizations, sector by sector. As a result, certain scales do not follow increases in the minimum wage.

But employers must always guarantee at least the legal minimum wage, supplementing the remuneration if necessary. From stretcher bearers to administrative employees, several sectors are concerned, including fast food, IT, engineering and even private clinics. In IT and engineering companies, certain entry-level employees may fall under a salary scale whose first minimum is set at 1,815 euros gross per month, compared to 1,867 euros for the minimum wage in force in November 2026.

In certain private clinics, stretcher bearers or hospital service agents may fall under a first level set at 1,729 euros gross, according to their collective agreement. These amounts are conventional minimums, and not the wages that employers are authorized to pay. What consequences for employees?

This gap causes what is called a flattening of wages. When the minimum wage increases, it can catch up with several levels of the same salary scale. A beginner employee can thus find themselves with the same minimum salary as a more experienced or qualified colleague.

Differences in qualifications and responsibilities therefore no longer necessarily translate into differences in pay. This is what the unions are denouncing, who are demanding an increase in all salary scales, and not just the minimum wage.

Machine-translated from French