German Labor Union Head Criticizes Debate on Work Hours in Germany
The head of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB), Yasmin Fahimi, has sharply criticized the debate on work hours in Germany, sparked by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s (CDU) recent statements. Fahimi called on the government to provide a clear response to the debate, which she believes is misleading and harmful to workers.
“It’s an outrageous narrative that puts employees in the wrong light” Fahimi said in an interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, a German news network. “It’s dangerous to shift the blame for the economic crisis to the employees. I demand that the government clearly rejects this notion.”
Fahimi also criticized a recent comparison by the Institute of the German Economy (IW) based on OECD data. “The debate on work hours is completely distorted: the OECD comparison mixes data on full-time and part-time work” Fahmi said. “It’s like comparing apples and oranges and the statistics are therefore relatively worthless.”
Germany has a high rate of part-time employment in Europe, Fahimi pointed out and this is the key factor, not the number of hours worked. She added that full-time employees in Germany work more than 40 hours a week, which is in line with the EU average.
Merz had previously stated at a CDU economic council meeting that “we need to work more and more efficiently in this country. With a four-day week and work-life balance, we will not be able to maintain the prosperity of this country.”
Fahimi’s criticism comes as the debate on work hours in Germany gains momentum, with some politicians and experts calling for a reduction in working hours to boost the economy and improve work-life balance.