Before the upcoming state elections this year, Frank Werneke, the federal chair of the service union Verdi, urged voters to avoid any party that seeks to roll back social protections. Speaking to “Bild am Sonntag”, he said the FDP has largely slipped into insignificance, while those pursuing a pro‑business, neoliberal agenda have gathered around the governing Union. In his view, the Union’s worker‑oriented wing is barely visible, causing the party to lose its character as a people’s party.
Union politicians and lobby groups have proposed limiting the statutory right to part‑time work and easing dismissal protections in the public sector. Werneke criticized leaders in employer and business associations-and even individual entrepreneurs-who now believe they have the upper hand, noting that the Union had promised numerous reforms before the federal election, including sweeping changes to the pension system that would disadvantage employees. He concluded that neither he nor his members are interested in these, in his view, unfulfilled promises.
