Traffic light government meets: decisions seep through - time for minimum wage increase is set

Created: 01/21/2022, 19:31

By: Marcus Giebel, Patrick Mayer, Cindy Boden

The minimum wage is widespread, not least in the catering trade.

(Iconic image) © Marijan Murat/dpa

At their cabinet retreat, the traffic light federal government from the SPD, Greens and FDP advises on Russia and the Corona wave.

There is a decision on the minimum wage.

The news ticker.

• Cabinet retreat of the traffic light federal government:

  Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) meets his ministers in Berlin

  (see first report of January 21).

• According to traffic lights, the minimum wage in Germany should increase from October 1st

  (see update from January 21st, 6:25 p.m.).

• Before the meeting, Olaf Scholz* emphasized that Germany had to speed up in many areas

  (see updates from January 21, 8:45 a.m. and 8:50 a.m.).

• This

  news ticker for the traffic light government exam

  is continuously updated.

Update from January 21, 6:25 p.m .:

The cabinet of the traffic light federal government of the SPD, Greens and FDP meets in Berlin.

And from the ministerial round with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), the first details are leaking out.

As the ARD “Tagesschau” reports, the date for the announced increase in the minimum wage has been set.

According to a draft, the minimum wage for millions of employees in Germany is to increase from the current 10.45 euros to 12 euros from October 1, 2022.

The desired increase in the minimum wage was an essential point of the coalition agreement.

Mainly due to the efforts of the SPD, this will now apparently be implemented before the end of this year.

The economically liberal FDP had accepted the adjustment of the minimum wage as a compromise.

Traffic light government meets in the chancellery: first closed meeting of the new federal government

Update from January 21, 12:35 p.m .:

The federal government continues to meet – the first closed meeting of the traffic light cabinet is taking place today

.

Some ministers may be keeping an eye on the latest polls at the moment.

Some department heads don't get off so well.

In a staff comparison by a survey by Ipsos, Chancellor Olaf Scholz only managed second place - but overall he is apparently better off than his government in terms of popularity.

Traffic light meets in the Chancellery: Corona plays a role in many ways

Update from January 21, 11:15 a.m .:

The federal government is meeting today in the Federal Chancellery.

What doesn't sound particularly special at first is nevertheless an important reason for the traffic light: Although closed meetings of the Federal Cabinet otherwise took place in Meseberg Castle, everything is different here because of Corona.

In the morning, the ministers gathered to talk about several topics throughout the

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and some traffic light ministers at the closed meeting of the Federal Cabinet in the Chancellery.

© Bildgehege/Imago

Update from January 21, 8.50 a.m .:

In his brief statement before the traffic light cabinet meeting, Scholz also addresses the government’s “very large, ambitious project”: to shape Germany as a climate-neutral industrial country.

This also includes improving the digital infrastructure and housing construction as urgent problems to be solved.

"Everything demands that we become faster," emphasizes Scholz several times.

That is why approval procedures and expansion targets would have to be redefined.

"We have to get the pace going." Finally, Scholz says: "We believe that this will enable a new start in our country.

And we also believe that it is necessary.” Then the chancellor disappears again for the meeting.

At 5 p.m. he spoke again with Robert Habeck and Christian Lindner.

Scholz statement before traffic light cabinet meeting: "Coordinated policy to combat climate change"

Update from January 21, 8.45 a.m .:

Scholz first addresses the corona pandemic and the Ukraine crisis.

The exam will be devoted to that.

"But the retreat also serves to discuss some fundamental issues," says Scholz, going into the G7 presidency, for example.

“Germany has ambitious plans in this regard.

We want to do something for a coordinated, concerted policy to combat climate change.”

Update from January 21, 8.44 a.m .:

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) positions himself again in front of the press before the start of the traffic light cabinet retreat.

Update from January 21, 8:30 a.m.:

At around 8:45 a.m., Olaf Scholz wants to go to the press again and make a statement on the cabinet meeting of the traffic light government.

Afterwards, the government made up of SPD, Greens and FDP wants to talk about several topics in peace.

It spends a whole day dealing with the G7 presidency and the acceleration of investments in the future.

Put your heads together: Robert Habeck, Olaf Scholz and Christian Lindner (from left) hold a cabinet retreat with the entire federal government.

© OMER MESSINGER/AFP

Traffic light session: closed meeting to talk, probably without major decisions

Update from January 21, 7:55 a.m .:

The new government has the keywords “departure” and “progress” written on the flags.

However, major decisions are not to be expected at the first closed meeting.

The G7 presidency meeting is about preparing for the numerous ministerial meetings that are to be expected up to the summit from 26 to 28 June 2022 at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps - and of course the summit itself as the high point of the presidency.

The focus will be on climate protection, fighting pandemics and strengthening international cooperation and democracies worldwide.

The second focus of the exam is planning acceleration.

The construction industry, for example, calls for fundamental reforms so that infrastructure projects can be implemented more quickly.

Closed meeting of the traffic light cabinet: dissatisfaction among the population

Update from January 21, 6.45 a.m .:

A good six weeks after the start of the new federal government of the SPD, Greens and FDP, dissatisfaction with their work prevails among the population.

In a survey by the opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of the German Press Agency, 45 percent were rather dissatisfied or even very dissatisfied, with only 37 percent being satisfied.

17 percent did not provide any information.

On Friday, the cabinet of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will meet for its first closed conference, which will deal with the German presidency in the G7 group of leading democratic economic powers and the acceleration of future

.

Survey before the traffic light cabinet exam: Scholz, Habeck and Lindner are not doing well

According to a YouGov survey, the prevailing dissatisfaction with the government's work affects all three main actors in the coalition almost equally: Chancellor Scholz, Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck from the Greens and Finance Minister and FDP leader Christian Lindner. 47 percent are rather dissatisfied with Scholz and 33 percent are rather satisfied. 43 percent rate Habeck's work rather negatively and 30 percent rather positively. Dissatisfaction also predominates with Lindner, but he still comes off best compared to his two cabinet colleagues: 40 percent are rather dissatisfied, 32 percent rather satisfied with his work.

A week ago, Scholz's work was rated very positively in the ZDF "Politbarometer".

65 percent of those surveyed said that Scholz was doing his job "rather well" as Chancellor.

On the other hand, 17 percent of those surveyed found that the new chancellor was doing his job “rather poorly”.

Retreat of the traffic light cabinet: G7 program and energy transition on the agenda

First report from January 20th:

Munich – The SPD-led traffic light coalition has now been in office for around a month and a half.

The cabinet, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has some serious problems ahead.

First and foremost, of course, the corona pandemic, which is about to enter its third year.

But of course - more topical than ever - the Ukraine conflict with the imminent invasion of Russia.

The federal cabinet meets on Friday for its first cabinet retreat.

On the agenda of the all-day consultations in the Chancellery are the priorities of the German G7 Presidency, which has been in place since the turn of the year, and driving forward the energy transition.

Before the talks begin, Scholz (SPD) makes a statement at around 8.45 a.m.

Finally, he will appear in front of the press together with Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) and Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) - this is planned for 5 p.m.

Other topics of the cabinet meeting should include major infrastructure projects and housing.

The conference also functions as a cabinet meeting;

the usual appointment on Wednesday morning was therefore canceled this week.

Traffic light retreat: Statements planned

A possible vaccination requirement may also become an issue again.

The SPD parliamentary group also dealt with it again at their annual meeting.

The FDP has been struggling with one requirement so far, the government now wants to make progress via a parliamentary procedure with group applications.

Thus, the design of the regulation would not be solely in the hands of red-green-yellow.

Video: No more entitlement to continued salary payments without a booster?

Ukraine conflict with Russia: stop Nord Stream 2 or even supply weapons?

In view of the Russian muscle flexing on the Ukrainian border, the Greens could be comfortable with threatening to stop the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

There are also different voices coming from the SPD.

Is there a clear line here?

For its part, the FDP wants to consider whether an exception to the still fresh coalition agreement could be made for arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Moscow could also be stopped in this way.

Meanwhile, the President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Siegfried Russwurm, urged the government in the

to significantly speed up the processing of administrative, planning and approval procedures.

The current plans are not ambitious enough.