After the CDU’s economic wing pushed for a restriction on the statutory right to part‑time work, the party reached a consensus on the wording for the party motion, eliminating the phrase “Lifestyle‑part‑time” entirely. “The statutory right to (bridge‑)part‑time should only apply in the presence of a special justification” said Steffen Bilger, parliamentary managing director of the Union faction in the Bundestag, speaking to the _Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung_ on Wednesdays. “We were able to align the language and content of the part‑time proposal again within the application committee”.
The statutory right to part‑time, anchored in law since 2001, is now only indirectly challenged in the updated draft. “The CDU of Germany stresses the need for an orderly part‑time entitlement to enable childcare, care of relatives, and training and further education” it says. A “targeted part‑time right in the presence of a particular reason” is presented as part of a balanced labour‑market policy.
The text focuses largely on those who must top up a part‑time job with social benefits. In such cases, the part‑time claim must be “well‑justified” the motion states.
In addition, general incentives to increase working hours are demanded. “These include more flexible work‑time models, greater net income from gross wages through noticeable relief of earnings-especially for low‑ and middle‑income workers-and a performance‑friendly tax and fee system” the proposal adds.
The demand of the Mittelstands‑ und Wirtschaftsunion (MIT) was not only sharply criticized by the SPD and the Greens. Among CDU campaigners in Baden‑Württemberg and Rhineland‑Palatinate, the call to restrict the legal right was seen as unhelpful. CDU Secretary‑General Carsten Linnemann and Steffen Bilger publicly opposed the initiative.
“Reflexive excitement at every debate, whether from the CDU or outsiders, does not advance Germany” Bilger said. “Germany needs reforms for greater economic growth and secure employment. We must strengthen performance incentives while keeping social cohesion in view”.