The group chair of the Left Party, Heidi Reichinnek, sharply criticized the CDU/CSU Mittelstands‑und‑Wirtschaftsunion’s proposal to restrict the right to part‑time work. “This clearly aims to erode workers’ rights” Reichinnek told RTL and ntv on Monday. “Will we now create a bureaucratic monster that forces people to beg if they are allowed to work part‑time?”
Reichinnek warned that limiting part‑time work could have serious health consequences. “If I force people to work more than they can handle at a given moment, it will lead to long‑term breakdowns and possibly the chronicization of illnesses” she said. She argued that instead of applying pressure, employers should improve working conditions.
In many sectors, such as nursing and cleaning, she said workers could no longer be required to work more than thirty hours a week. For her, part‑time employment is a form of self‑protection. “Calling it a ‘lifestyle part‑time’ simply shows what the union truly thinks about the people here” she added.
The debate, according to Reichinnek, should focus on enhancing care and support services. Many mothers want to work more but cannot combine childcare with employment. “To do that, we would need investment, which the union has no interest in providing. Instead, it simply wants to pass on the pressure” she said.