BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers on Thursday approved the introduction of the country’s first national minimum wage, a triumph for its main center-left party that a long-skeptical Chancellor Angela Merkel described as a “painful” political compromise.

Most workers in Europe’s biggest economy will be guaranteed at least 8.50 euros ($11.60) per hour under the legislation, which takes effect Jan. 1. Some employers will have two years to phase in the minimum wage; under-18s will be exempted, as will the long-term unemployed for six months after they return to work.