This is not enough for a real change in policy
Employers' President Dr. Rainer Dulger explains the exploratory negotiations:
This is not enough for a real change in policy
Berlin, March 9, 2025: "It is good that the CDU/CSU and SPD are quickly entering into coalition negotiations. In the current geopolitical situation, we need a government capable of acting quickly. This goal seems achievable. We expressly support the strengthening of our country's defense capabilities. The situation requires robust security policy measures.
The task now is to translate this ability to act into a change in policy. The CDU/CSU and SPD have set themselves concrete goals for this. It is right to make the German economy more competitive and to strive for potential growth of well over one percent. We applaud their courage in clearly formulating these goals.
However, achieving these goals in the long term requires more than debt-financed programs. The general framework conditions must be tackled to create a self-sustaining dynamic for more growth and employment and to ensure that Germany remains a strong business location in the long term.
The announced reduction in bureaucracy can contribute to this, as can the tax relief for citizens and companies outlined above and the promised reduction in energy prices. A reform of the citizens' income is of course also part of this.
This is not enough for a real change in policy. We are relying on goal-oriented coalition negotiations.
We expect sustainable social security reforms, which have so far been a blank space in the exploratory paper. The intended safeguarding of the pension level could become a heavy burden with costs of around 500 billion euros over the next 20 years.
No ambitious measures have been identified that would help to stabilize or even reduce social security contributions. Social security contributions must remain at 40 percent in the long term in order to make work more attractive again and strengthen the location.
We expect more willingness to reform the labor market. We need enough workers to remain a strong economy. All disincentives must be removed so that more people can enter the labor market. A fundamental reform of the labor administration is necessary.
We expect more respect for the autonomy of collective agreements and the independence of the social partners. The exploratory paper proposes several interventions in the autonomy of the social partners.
We forbid any interference in the setting of the minimum wage in the responsible commission. Factual errors such as the assertion that there is a basis for a minimum wage of 15 euros in 2026 must not be included in the coalition agreement.
Defining collectively agreed full-time work politically at 34 hours removes scope for collective bargaining partners. The proposed further development of co-determination can be an opportunity - but only if it is significantly modernized: The current laws are bureaucratic and outdated, they do not fit into the digital world of work."
