The SPD working group for employment (AfA) issued a sharp criticism of the reform proposals presented by party leader Lars Klingbeil. In a resolution adopted by the AfA board on Friday, the group declared that
> “The Social Democratic Party has always been strong when it has backed people, not when it also tells them they are supposedly not working hard enough”.
The AfA called this narrative “wrong” and said it amounts to a slap to millions of workers who keep businesses running by doing overtime, working shifts, raising children, caring for relatives, and yet at the end of each month must turn over every last euro.
While the board acknowledges the need for a bold political breakthrough – which Klingbeil is now attempting – it warns that many of his proposals, from extending temporary employment contracts to expanding working hours and rethinking pension policy, raise serious social‑policy questions and contradict the party’s own positions.
AfA therefore urges the party leader to stand beside trade unions and the working population:
> “The SPD must not sacrifice its social‑democratic soul for economic adaptation. Germany needs investment, industrial strength, and relief for the working middle class – we all agree on that. But those who think growth can be driven by applying more pressure on employees ignore the reality of business operations” said Cansel Kiziltepe, federal chairwoman of the AfA, to the Spiegel.
> “It was not the workers who put this country into crisis. They keep it running day by day”.