The debate that was launched over the weekend by the CDU’s economic wing about possibly abolishing the legal right to part‑time work gained real momentum on Monday. At the party’s federal congress in late February a motion titled “No legal right to lifestyle part‑time” is slated to be put to a vote.
Ost‑delegation chair Elisabeth Kaiser of the SPD spoke on Monday afternoon, noting that many part‑time employees in Germany play an essential role in society: most of them are women who care for children, parents or the elderly. She said the priority should instead be “better conditions that make full‑time work feasible” adding that this requires widespread, high‑quality childcare, affordable care and attractive full‑time job models.
The proposal has backing from the employer‑focused Institute of the German Economy (IW). IW expert Holger Schäfer said that the CDU’s suggestion to eliminate the legal right to part‑time is “correct”. He argued that employees will still be able to arrange part‑time work without a statutory right, so there is no need for legal privilege. According to Schäfer, the legal right is an anachronism from the early 2000s, a period marked by mass unemployment.
However, the idea of abolition is not uncontroversial within the CDU itself. CDU presidium member Sebastian Lechner, the head of the Lower Saxony CDU, rejected the proposal outright, stating in an interview with Focus that “to attract and retain employees, one must account for diverse life realities”. He added that work must become more rewarding again and that reliable childcare and stronger care support-especially in Lower Saxony-are essential. “These are key milestones that enable people to widen their working hours. Therefore, we should not weaken the existing right to part‑time work”.
