Thursday, April 8th, 2021
Salvation threatens duty again
Two out of three companies meet test specifications
The federal government demands that at least 90 percent of German companies create regular test facilities for their employees. Two representative surveys show that the situation is improving. But there is still a long way to go to reach the target mark.
According to the Federal Government, companies in Germany do not yet meet the requirements for regular corona tests in offices and factories. The Ministry of Labor and Economics jointly announced in Berlin that around two out of three companies are on track. For the time being, the ministries did not draw any specific conclusions from the results of two representative surveys. The federal government had recently threatened the economy with conditions if at least 90 percent of the companies do not create regular test options, preferably two tests per week.
The Ministry of Labor and Economics has surveyed around 2,500 employees and 1,000 companies since mid-March. Both surveys would come to similar results. 69 percent of the companies should have a regular offer with at least one test per week by mid-April. 61 percent of employees said their employer was ready. The value increases to 70 percent if companies that have promised this are added. “In mid-March this proportion was 35 percent.”
Employees welcome testing opportunities
“The results of the monitoring will now be the basis for further deliberations within the federal government,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Labor. It is not satisfactory that around 40 percent of employees do not receive a test offer. Labor Minister Hubertus Heil has repeatedly made it clear in the past that he is in favor of a binding regulation if there is insufficient testing in the world of work. Corresponding regulations have been prepared and can be implemented quickly. “The decision on this will be made by the federal government soon.”
According to the ministries, 84 percent of employees welcome the testing options in their companies. At 46 percent, almost every second employee also accepts the offer. Of the companies, 43 percent said they had not yet tested because of costs or that they would like financial support. “A third of companies report difficulties with the availability of tests.”
According to participants, the compulsory test for companies in the room had also dominated the summit of Economics Minister Peter Altmaier with more than 40 leading associations. The economy has clearly spoken out against compulsory testing and fears additional bureaucracy. Effective controls when a test is compulsory are not considered to be quick to implement.
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