Bavarian Premier and CSU leader Markus Söder has called for German workers to overall work more hours. Speaking on ARD on Sunday, he said that an extra hour of work per week would bring the country enormous economic growth and is “really not too much to ask”.
Söder also endorses Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s push to do away with phone sick notes and supports the introduction of a “cure day” (Karenztag). Under that proposal employees would receive no pay on the first day of an illness. He added that on bridge days Germany tends to be a little sicker than usual.
In contrast, Manuela Schwesig, the SPD premier of Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania, vehemently disagrees. “I do not agree at all that Germans work too little” she said, arguing that the Union‑led debate ignores the everyday reality of many people. She rejects calls from the Union to cut social benefits such as unemployment insurance in order to reduce wage costs. “The problem of high unemployment is not that people work too little, but that many jobs are being cut, and the Chancellor must tackle that”.
Schwesig also points to persistently high energy costs as a larger threat to the economy. “We have long been producing green electricity for only a few cents, but government burdens push it back to consumers at too high a price”.
Meanwhile, Söder champions tax cuts. He argues that companies and households alike need greater fiscal relief, and that the electricity tax should be lowered for both firms and individuals. “Only with a large tax‑cut package can we stimulate the economy and restore performance to be viable and strong” he said.
