Berlin (dpa -AFX) – Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche asked the Germans to work more and longer – and triggered a controversy with their initiative. “The demographic change and the increasing life expectancy make it essential: the working life has to rise,” said the CDU politician of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”. She was encouraged by the employer side, the CDU social wing and the SPD criticized rich.
“We have to work more and longer,” said Reiche. Unfortunately, too long, too long for demographic reality. “In any case, it cannot go well in the long run that we only work two thirds of our adult life and retire a third,” said Reiche. There are many employees in physically exhausting professions, but also many who wanted to work longer.
Companies told her that their employees worked 1,800 hours a year at the US location, but only 1,340 hours in Germany. “In international comparison, the Germans work little on average,” criticized Reiche. The social security systems are overloaded. “The combination of non -wage costs, taxes and levies no longer make the work in Germany competitive in the long run,” said Reiche.
Reiche: Reforms in the coalition agreement are not enough in the long run
When asked why she was so little criticism of the pension package and the Minister of Labor Bärbel BAS (SPD )’s tariff loyalty law, Reiche said: “Both draft laws have not yet been decided, but are currently advised in the government. Here we have expressed our criticism and enforced changes. The coalition contract binds us.” However, what reforms are in the long run will not be enough.
With its first pension law, BAS wants to secure the pension level with billions of billions in 48 percent. While this was part of the SPD election campaign promise, the early start and the active pension from the Union election program made it into the coalition agreement. The tariff loyalty law provides that companies should pay their employees according to the tariff for the federal government orders.
CDU social wing: No basis in the coalition agreement
Similar to Reiche, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann had already commented in the past few months. “We have to work more and, above all, more efficiently in this country,” said Merz, for example, at the CDU business day in May. “With a four-day week and work-life balance, we will not be able to maintain the prosperity of this country.”
The move is not well received in all parts of the party – the CDU social wing (CDA) sharply criticized rich statements on the weekend. CDA federal vice Christian Bäumler said their demands had no basis in the coalition agreement. “Anyone who, as Minister of Economy does not realize that Germany has a high part -time quota and thus a low average annual working time, is a miscarriage,” he said.
The SPD parliamentary group vice Dagmar Schmidt told the Funke newspapers that rich arguments with misleading figures on the workload in Germany. “The overall economic work volume has risen significantly since the mid -2000s. More people work, especially many women, part -time. If you would quit your work, the average work volume.”
The Social Association of Germany (SOVD) also criticized. Due to a possible credo that people could work longer, there should be no “an increase in the retirement age through the back door,” said SOVD CEO Michaela Engelmeier.
The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) also warned of an increase in retirement age. “For good pensions, more has to come in on the revenue side of the pension insurance,” said DGB board member Anja Piel. Overall social tasks such as the Mother’s pension would have to be paid out of the pension fund.
Employer president: “Reich speaks plain text”
The reaction of employer president Rainer Dulger, on the other hand, was positive. “Economic Minister Reiche speaks plain text – and that is a good thing. Anyone who reacts with outrage now refuses to reality,” said Dulger of the German Press Agency. The CDU politician calls for a comprehensive reform agent that also includes the social security systems.
“This shows that the rendezvous with reality has started in the federal government. 50 percent social security contribution is not a promise, but a warning signal,” said Dulger. Anyone who continues to put their heads into the sand in view of the demographic development will fail to take responsibility towards coming generations. “Germany has to work more again so that our prosperity will still exist tomorrow,” warned Dulger./CSD/DP/he