Germany’s Free Democratic Party leader and Finance Minister Christian Lindner speaks following his meeting with leaders of German mid-size and family companies, in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 29, 2024.
“The economic policy debate is where it belongs: right at the top of the agenda,” Lindner said on X. “We have no time to lose.”
The meetings with Lindner and Scholz have prompted companies and industry associations to air their gripes. The chemicals lobby VCI lamented “poor framework conditions” and high energy costs faced by its members, and called on Scholz to make “groundbreaking decisions” to unleash competitiveness.
Reinhold von Eben-Worlee, from the association of family-run companies, compared the plight of Germany’s Mittelstand firms to a marathon runner weighed down by a heavy rucksack of high taxes and social security contributions, and red tape.
Tuesday’s strikes were orchestrated by the powerful IG Metall union, which also staged a walkout during the night shift at Volkswagen’s plant in the city of Osnabrueck, where workers worry the site may be shutting down.
Approximately 71,000 workers participated in Tuesday’s strike, impacting around 370 companies across Germany, according to a spokesperson for IG Metall.
Source link : https://www.voanews.com/a/workers-launch-strikes-as-germany-frets-over-industrial-future-/7843812.html
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Publish date : 2024-10-29 19:58:00
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