A recent example of bureaucratic inflexibility in Germany has been reported by the Schwäbische Zeitung. Two refugees in Bad Waldsee, a town in the Ravensburg district of Baden-Württemberg, had been offered jobs at a local printing firm, SV Druck GmbH, after negotiations with the company’s management. The refugees, who were willing to work, had already agreed on the terms of their employment, including a salary of 12.82 euros per hour, the minimum wage in Germany.
However, the employment agency and the local foreign authority intervened, citing the need for a higher minimum wage of 14 euros per hour, which is the standard rate in the region. The authorities’ decision was based on a law that requires the approval of the employment agency for the hiring of foreign workers.
The company’s management was not satisfied with the authorities’ decision, as it would have meant paying the refugees a higher wage than their German colleagues who perform the same tasks. The firm ultimately decided to cancel the job offers, citing the need to avoid any potential conflict in the workplace.
The incident raises questions about the inflexibility of the authorities and the lack of understanding of the actual working conditions in the private sector. The authorities’ decision was based on a general rule, without considering the specific circumstances of the company and the refugees.
The Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) explained that it is required by law to assess the working conditions in all cases of job applications from foreign workers. The agency’s spokesperson stated that the BA’s decision was not influenced by the company’s actual working conditions, but rather by the law that requires the approval of the employment agency for the hiring of foreign workers.
The incident highlights the need for a more nuanced approach to the integration of foreign workers into the German labor market, taking into account the specific circumstances of each case and the actual working conditions in the private sector.