Ahead of the Coalition Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, employer groups are strongly urging Federal Labor Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) to speed up reforms and cautioned against another significant political misstep.
Steffen Kampeter, the CEO of the Federation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA), told “Bild” that Minister Bas must make a swift decision rather than continuing to slow progress. He highlighted that Germany requires a “concrete pension plan”. Campaigneter argued that cutting federal subsidies while simultaneously risking higher employee contributions would reduce net income for workers and raise labor costs, which he stressed is not a form of relief. According to the BDA, Bas must rapidly present a bill that stabilizes pension funding without artificially increasing the cost of labor.
Kampeter also called on Bas to immediately begin preparing the planned social state reforms in cooperation with both employers and trade unions. “The time for words is over; the proposals are on the table” he stated. He warned that a repeat of a failed policy, such as the recent relief premium, must be avoided. The announced reform laws must now swiftly move to the cabinet.
The BDA chief also pushed for the rapid implementation of the planned working hours law reform. They demanded that the coalition agreements be quickly realized, insisting on “legally secure trust working time instead of unnecessary clock-punching bureaucracy”. The BDA argued that the European Court of Justice does not mandate minute-by-minute time recording. They warned that a German “special path” characterized by added bureaucracy would act to stifle “flexible work” and ultimately “endanger jobs”.