On Monday the debate that had begun over the weekend among the CDU’s economic wing about possibly abolishing the legal right to part‑time work gained real momentum. At the party’s federal congress at the end of February a motion titled “No legal claim to lifestyle‑part‑time” is set to be put to a vote.
During the Monday lunch session, Ostminister Elisabeth Kaiser of the SPD spoke about the importance of part‑time workers in Germany. “Many part‑time employees make a significant contribution to society-most of them are women who care for children, parents or people in need of care” she said. “Our focus should therefore be on creating better conditions that make full‑time work possible. This means widespread, high‑quality childcare, affordable care services and attractive full‑time employment models”.
The proposal also received support from the employer‑oriented Institute of German Economy (IW). “The CDU’s proposal to abolish the legal claim to part‑time is right” said IW expert Holger Schäfer. “Employees can still arrange part‑time work without any statutory privileges. The right is an anachronism from the early 2000s, when mass unemployment defined the labour market”.
However, the idea of abolishing the right is not unanimous even within the CDU. CDU party‑board member and head of the Niedersachsen CDU, Sebastian Lechner, rejected it outright. “Those who want to attract and retain staff must consider different life realities” he told “Focus”. “Work needs to pay off again”. He added that Lower Saxony urgently needs reliable childcare and better support in care work, and that the existing legal right to part‑time should not be weakened.