A A stupid statement can be met with many harsh words in Saxony-Anhalt: “Have you got shit in your brain?”, “Have you had a drink?” or “It’s going well for you?”, for example. Sometimes formulated with a wink, but not always.
Such a reaction would not have been unreasonable on Wednesday in Halle, when Friedrich Merz gave a speech there. At the Halle-Dessau Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s New Year’s reception, he said he “would probably delete the Working Hours Act” if he could. The “company parties and collective bargaining parties” could regulate working hours independently. They don’t need the state to do that.
The content is debatable. What makes his statement still stupid? Sometimes: wrong place, wrong time, insufficient consideration of context. Friedrich Merz proves once again that he… does not have the format of chancellor for everyonebut is little more than a short-sighted client politician for the German economy. They consequently applauded Merz for his initiative.
Why not? The Working Hours Act basically regulates the 8-hour day, breaks and rest periods, and stipulates surcharges for night and shift work. The law therefore causes additional costs for entrepreneurs. You can clap if someone wants to get rid of it.
Most low-income earners in Saxony-Anhalt
But this one isn’t just anyone. But the person whose real job is to make good politics for everyone. Most of them are employees. The Working Hours Act protects them from excessive exploitation. And it guarantees them extra earnings or days off if they have to work more than usual. You can rely on this in the event of a labor law dispute.
Anyone who claims that employees can simply make such agreements with their employers without a working time law fails to recognize that both contracting parties are rarely one thing: on equal terms. Especially in the low-wage sector, management often dictates how long people work. Without a legal framework, she could extend working hours at will.
If you want to see how a capitalist society fares when working hours are not regulated by law, you have to look back a few decades in the history books. In 1918, workers fought for the 8-hour day because the hard work was taking a toll on their health. Today we know that after 8 hours of working time per day, the risk of accidents at work increases exponentially.
The fact that Merz is now unpacking his backwards idea in Saxony-Anhalt of all places is particularly wrong. Most of the low earners work in the country. And collective bargaining coverage is particularly low here – as in almost all eastern countries. This means that collective agreements that lead to a balance of power between employees and their bosses are rarer here than anywhere else in the republic.
What is driving this chancellor?
And as far as Merz’s timing is concerned: there will be elections soon in Saxony-Anhalt. According to recent surveys, the right-wing extremist AfD is well ahead. Among other things, because she knows how to exploit the people here’s fears of decline and post-reunification traumas. With his arrogant and unworldly statement, Chancellor Merz provides the right-wing extremists with material in the election campaign. Not because they don’t approve of his statement in terms of economic policy. But it can get people’s tempers heated.
The question arises once again: What is driving this Chancellor? Does he really believe that without the Working Hours Act everyone would be better off and that prosperity in the country could finally flourish again? Or maybe he just wanted to distract from a completely different debate?
People have been talking about this in Germany for days Inheritance tax discussed. An unpleasant debate for the CDU, as it has promised that with it in government there will be no tax increases. To make matters worse, there are also good reasons and a lot of social support for inheritance tax. An evasive maneuver would be a classic Merz move: when in doubt, simply talk about deregulation.
But that could also be a boomerang. When people get sick and there are more downtimes in companies, it harms the economy. If at some point people have had enough, like in 1919, they could stand up again and stand up for their rights. The following applies: Anyone who sows false liberalization will reap class struggle.