CDU conversation: Is Germany's work morality at the end?

CDU conversation: Is Germany's work morality at the end?

On Sunday evening at 9:45 p.m., the talk show "Caren Miosga" devoted itself to a central topic: the working morality in Germany. The CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann, who addressed the difficult Situation of his party according to the poor election results in February, was a guest. "Despite the setbacks, we have to continue to work and just do it," he said.

In his speech, Linnemann was particularly involved in the role of citizens for the preservation of prosperity. He emphasized that this prosperity and social security systems are based on productivity. He heralded an alarm bell when he addressed the shift in social focus from an active work culture to a life-life balance, which in his opinion did not contribute to the stability of prosperity. In order to stop this development, the new government is planning, among other things, an active pension and a flexibility of the weekly working hours.

flexibility and productivity

The flexibility of working hours, as Linnemann demands, is particularly important for families with children and relatives in need of care. This adaptation is propagated in the current coalition agreement between the Union and the SPD, where the aim is to introduce the weekly maximum working time to replace the traditional eight-hour day. A survey by the IPSOS opinion research institute shows that 46% of the population for, while 44% are against such a change.

The economic situation is tense. Chancellor Friedrich Merz demands more work to do more to stabilize the German economy. In his first government declaration, he criticized the common four-day week and put the need for efficient work. This is done against the background of the reduced economic forecasts of the economic methods that predict zero growth for 2025.

work ethic and international comparisons

Entrepreneur Christine Simon and other voices warn that the declining work morality in Germany could be left out of the country economically. A comparison shows: German work annually 135 hours less than the Greeks and take third place in the OECD list of working hours. Despite an increase in employment and part -time work, the individual working time remains low compared to other countries.

Birgid Becker from the DLF economic editorial editorial emphasizes that the stagnation of the German economy does not only have its causes in a supposedly too low working time. It refers to the effects of US economic tariffs and that the work volume in Germany increases, even if the individual working hours decrease. According to Becker, it is also important to look at other factors such as the availability of specialists and daycare places.

Overall, it becomes clear that the discussion about working hours cannot offer solutions for the economic problems of Germany. Rather, a holistic approach must be followed that focuses on linking work morality, flexibility and productivity.