The CDU’s business wing continues to face opposition over its proposal to eliminate the fundamental right to part‑time work.
In an interview with the “Rheinische Post” on Monday, Linke Bundestag member Pascal Meiser, who chairs the party’s labour policy committee, described the push as a “frontal assault” on the roughly 17 million part‑time employees in Germany, noting that it disproportionately affects women who juggle family and career responsibilities. He argued that such a change would likely violate the EU‑enforced anti‑discrimination rules that protect part‑timers.
Meiser urged the government to support those trapped in part‑time jobs or wishing to increase their hours but facing employer restrictions. He called the abolition of the pervasive mini‑job system a critical first step-rather than penalising part‑timers.
On the weekend, reports surfaced that the Mittelstands‑ und Wirtschaftsunion (MIT) plans to submit a motion titled “Kein Rechtsanspruch auf Lifestyle‑Teilzeit” (“No Right to Lifestyle‑Part‑Time”) to the CDU’s federal party convention at the end of February.