Marx opposes minimum wage plan

The head of the commission representing Catholic bishops from the European Union has criticised plans for a minimum wage in his native Germany and warned that a tax on wealth would resemble a "class struggle".

"Any regulation of earnings poses problems for a free society and should be considered only as a last resort," said Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich-Freising, president of the Brussels-based COMECE, which helps to define the Church's stance on economic and social issues in Europe.

"Minimum pay means a capitulation by the social market economy, in which the sides of a collective contract take responsibility for determining appropriate remuneration."

The centre-right Government of Chancellor Angela Merkel in April announced plans for an "adjustable and differentiated" minimum hourly rate of €7.79 (£6.26) in Germany's western states.