Yasmin Fahimi, chairwoman of the DGB union, issued sharp criticism regarding the central statements made by SPD Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil concerning retirement and working hours policies. Fahimi explicitly rejected Klingbeil’s claim that Germany needs to stop “encouraging an earlier exit from working life” labeling the statement as “false” during an interview with the “Tagesspiegel”. She countered his insistence on promoting longer working lives by stating that those who wish to work longer can already do so, although she noted that many simply lack the opportunity. Furthermore, she pointed out that unemployed individuals over 55 years old seldom find comparable jobs, adding that the increase in employment rates was not an achievement of the retirement age of 67, but rather the result of improved labor market policies.
Fahimi also refuted Klingbeil’s recent argument that society must generally increase its working hours. She questioned whether Klingbeil’s statement was accurate, asserting, “Germany does not have a problem with working volume; enough work is done fundamentally”. She questioned the relevance of the statement to workers currently under short-time work schemes or the 120,000 individuals who lost their jobs in the industry in 2025.
Regarding working hours, Fahimi stated that in Germany, people do not work less in full-time jobs than in other European countries. She acknowledged that Germany has a disproportionately high proportion of part-time workers, but viewed this as “a cause for joy, not for complaint” because it has significantly increased the female employment rate.
Moreover, the DGB chief dismissed the proposal made by CSU leader Markus Söder for an extra hour of work per week. Calling it “technocratic arithmetic games that gloss over reality” she argued that Söder had no jurisdiction over the agreement of weekly working hours. Fahimi suggested that this involvement in “political tinkering” during collective bargaining is an effort to dilute the compromises reached in those negotiations, a move that she found deeply disappointing.
Finally, Fahimi criticized Klingbeil’s concern that the SPD is increasingly perceived as a party representing recipients of benefits. She advised the SPD to “take this feedback very seriously” and to once again adhere more closely to a clear course of social justice rather than becoming entangled in “minor compromises”. The former SPD general secretary concluded by stating that “the SPD’s profile is apparently too indistinct”.
