As of: March 28, 2024, 6:06 a.m
By: Bettina Menzel
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A cleaner at an airport (symbolic image). © IMAGO / Depositphotos/Hackmanx
From the Wisag boss's point of view, equal prosperity with less work is not possible. The social system cannot be financed in this way in the long term. The problem is the “social mindset” in Germany.
Berlin – The GDL union reached a 35-hour week for train drivers in the collective bargaining agreement with the railway. Politicians from the Greens and the Left see this as a role model for other industries. The head of the Wisag service company, Michael C. Wisser, takes a critical view of this development: consistent prosperity is not possible with ever less work, said the Wisag boss in an interview with
Handelsblatt
.
Wisag boss does not see the problem with the unions, but with the “social mindset”
The problem is not the unions, which are fighting for shorter working hours, but the “social mindset,” says Wisag boss Wisser. “There seems to be a general misconception that constant prosperity is possible with less and less work.” He has great doubts that prosperity can be secured solely through increased productivity, since not only working hours are shortened, but incomes are also increased .
It's not about redistributing the cake, but rather its size. “If we want to secure our prosperity, what we can distribute – I call it the economic pie – must become larger. The only way to do that is to do more work," emphasizes the Wisag boss in an interview with
Handelsblatt
and criticizes what he sees as a fundamental problem in society: "We have forgotten how to appreciate the value of work." According to surveys, the majority of those surveyed are in Germany for a reduction in working hours.
Two hours more working time per week: What would it bring to the economy?
The Wisag boss's suggestion: Calculate what the economy and people in this country would benefit if all full-time employees worked two hours more per week. “For the personal net, consumption, VAT and other tax revenues, social contributions, the state’s investment opportunities.” Working hours are often forgotten in the “current trade union disputes”, although they have fallen significantly over the last decades. The Wisag boss also believes that the social system and pensions can only be financed through more income for people.
Wisser does not doubt that the shorter working hours fought for by the GDL make the job of a train driver more attractive. But this only postpones the problem: “The workforce is being redistributed. The railway may then be doing well, but there is a lack of workers elsewhere.” The head of the service company also warns against egalitarianism: “People have different talents, they have different skills. That's a good thing. The question is more about how different skills can be used.”
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Lack of work and skilled workers: Germany is becoming less attractive
The Federal Republic is suffering from a shortage of workers and skilled workers. There have been productivity advantages in this country for a long time, but “now there are not many people who look admiringly at Germany,” said Wisser on the subject. “While there are a few 100,000 qualified workers from abroad on the waiting list in Australia, people with the qualifications needed here no longer want to go to Germany,” warns the Wisag boss.
The Federal Republic has lost its attractiveness in recent years. “It’s simply too complicated for many people.” As an example, he cites refugees from Ukraine, who are often well educated. But only about one in five (18 percent) has started work in this country. Other countries are significantly more successful in integrating refugees into the labor market: “In Poland it was 65 percent, in Sweden 56 percent,” says Wisser and adds: “We are wasting resources.”