Working hours | Criticism of the rich's demand for overtime

Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) has called on Germans to work more and longer – and sparked controversy with her proposal. "Demographic change and the continuing increase in life expectancy make it unavoidable: Working life must increase," the CDU politician told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung." "We must work more and longer," the politician said. Unfortunately, too many people have refused to accept "demographic reality" for too long. "In any case, it cannot be a good thing in the long run that we only work two-thirds of our adult lives and spend the other third in retirement," the minister said. There are many employees in physically demanding jobs, but also many who would like and are able to work longer.

"Compared internationally, Germans work little on average," says Reiche. "The combination of non-wage labor costs, taxes, and levies makes labor uncompetitive in Germany in the long run."

Regarding the pension package and the Collective Bargaining Act introduced by Labor Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD), Reiche stated that it is clear that these reforms will not be sufficient in the long run. "Both draft laws have not yet been passed, but are currently being discussed within the government," she emphasized. The CDU/CSU parties have already expressed internal criticism and "pushed through changes." Nevertheless, they are bound by the coalition agreement. With her first pension law, Bas aims to secure the pension level at 48 percent of average net income until 2031.

Critics see Reiche's proposal as an indirect call for raising the retirement age. Pascal Meiser, spokesperson for labor policy and law for the Left Party , emphasizes: "Even now, many people, from kindergarten teachers to roofers, are unable to work healthily until 65 or even 67." The demand to "work until you drop" is the "most cynical way to save on pensions and obscures the fact that a dignified old age is affordable and possible for everyone," Meiser told "nd."

The federal government, in turn, has emphasized that there are no plans to raise the general retirement age. Deputy government spokesperson Sebastian Hille referred on Monday to a corresponding provision in the coalition agreement. According to him, the government intends to implement the second part of the agreed pension package after the summer recess, comprising "the active pension, the early start pension, and the company pension strengthening law." The active pension is intended to make working in old age more attractive by allowing people to earn up to €2,000 a month tax-free.

Meanwhile, Reiche's initiative has also been criticized by the CDU's social wing (CDA). CDA federal vice-chairman Christian Bäumler clarified over the weekend that her demands had no basis in the coalition agreement. "Anyone as Minister of Economic Affairs who fails to realize that Germany has a high part-time employment rate and thus a low average annual working time is a misfit," he said.

SPD parliamentary group vice-chair Dagmar Schmidt emphasized that people who cannot work beyond their retirement age must be protected: "For them, any extension of their working life would mean a pension cut. That won't happen with the SPD." Reiche argued with misleading figures on workload in Germany: "The overall economic workload has increased significantly since the mid-2000s."

Anne Zerr, a labor market expert for the Left Party (Die Linke), called the minister's statements "unrealistic." They showed "that the government is putting the interests of corporations above the health of working people," the Bundestag member told the "nd" newspaper. People are already working more than ever before, and employees are suffering from overwork and increased workloads. "According to the DGB Good Work Index, more than 40 percent of employees do not expect to be able to continue working until retirement," Zerr said.

Pascal Meiser added: "The problem is that women in particular are often caught in the part-time trap because there are not enough childcare places and there are still sectors that rely on mini-jobs and part-time models against the will of the employees."

In contrast, the President of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA), Rainer Dulger, praised the minister for "speaking plainly – and that's a good thing. Anyone who reacts with outrage now is ignoring reality." With agencies