“Full time from 8am to 2pm”
Overall metal boss quarrels with the work ethic of young people
06/16/2023, 06:07 am
General Metal President Wolf thinks little of early retirement or a four-day week with full wage compensation. In the case of the younger generation, the employer representative also paints a frequently unrealistic picture of working.
The president of the employers’ association Gesamtmetall, Stefan Wolf, has accused parts of the younger generation of having the wrong attitude to work. “Unfortunately, we sometimes experience that the generation of 20- to mid-30-year-olds has no realistic idea of work,” said the President of the General Association of Employers’ Associations in the Metal and Electrical Industry to the Funke newspapers. According to Wolf, there is a lack of knowledge of operational practice: “Some want to work full-time, but understand that from 8 a.m. to a maximum of 2 p.m..” At the same time, he admitted that there were “a lot of young people who really wanted to work”. The companies are also “in the mood for young people – but for those who are capable and willing to work,” said the head of Gesamtmetall.
Most recently, the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) called for more “Bock to work”, the head of the Economic Advisory Council, Monika Schnitzer, on the other hand, had demanded “more desire for young people” from companies.
With a view to the shortage of skilled workers, Wolf called on the traffic light coalition to make improvements to the planned immigration law for skilled workers. “We have to make it much easier for people from abroad to come to us if they have an education and are qualified,” Wolf told the newspapers. There needs to be a reduction in bureaucracy, and rigid language requirements must be broken and tax incentives set for young people.
“Early retirement is at the expense of future generations”
At the same time, the Gesamtmetall President spoke out in favor of a later retirement age – with exceptions for physically demanding activities. “One thing is clear: We can’t retire forever at the age of 67 – and certainly not at the age of 63,” Wolf told the Funke newspapers. The so-called pension at 63, i.e. early retirement after 45 years of contributions, was described by Wolf as a “huge mistake” that will “dramatically exacerbate the shortage of skilled workers”. The pension funds are empty, the pay-as-you-go system no longer works properly. The increased average lifespan puts an additional burden on the pension fund. “We cannot live at the expense of future generations,” Wolf warned.
The head of Gesamtmetall rejected a four-day week with full wage compensation: “I consider a reduction in working hours with full wage compensation to be a huge mistake that we cannot afford.” A four-day week could be introduced if more work was done on the four days. “For this, the antiquated working hours law must be changed,” demanded Wolf. Rest periods and limits for daily working hours should be adjusted. Wolf wants to abolish the maximum daily working time in favor of a maximum weekly working time. “Anyone who thinks they can do their 12-hour workday in three days should be happy to do so,” said Wolf.