Green Party leader Franziska Brantner has expressed support for expanding the maximum daily working hours. Speaking to the “Tagesspiegel”, she noted that modern labor markets reflect varied employee interests, acknowledging that some people require protection against workplace exploitation, while others value increased operational flexibility. Consequently, she stressed the importance of enabling employees and employers to collaboratively establish flexible working models. However, she cautioned that this increased flexibility must never come at the expense of the workers themselves.
Brantner also indicated that making the protection against dismissal more flexible is something she finds plausible. The Green politician views both security and flexibility as crucial elements in an increasingly rapidly changing working world, asserting that employees need support tailored to adapting to new developments, while businesses simultaneously require the freedom to implement necessary innovations.
Her stance contrasts with the demands of other political parties. While her co-party colleague, Felix Banaszak, had previously suggested easing grounds for dismissal, Brantner rejected the opposition’s demand to cancel May 1st as a holiday, stating she would not remove any public holidays. She challenged opponents, like Bavarians, who felt such an urgent need to abolish public holidays, suggesting they could start the process within their own state.
On the other hand, Brantner welcomed the call made by CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann to suspend reporting requirements for companies. She affirmed the continuous need to streamline bureaucracy for both businesses and citizens. She argued that many reporting standards originating from the analog era are unnecessary in the digital age, and that these accumulated requirements should be significantly streamlined.
