Frankfurt, Germany, Jan 26, 2026 (AFP)
Germany's ruling conservatives have proposed restricting the right to part-time work to get more people into full-time employment and boost the economy, sparking anger Monday from their coalition partners and unions.
Europe's biggest economy has been stagnating for several years, and Chancellor Friedrich of the centre-right CDU party recently suggested "more work and productivity" were needed to spark a turnaround.
Many people, mostly women, work part time in Germany, while key industries have long faced chronic shortages of skilled labour.
Merz's comments triggered a debate on limiting the right to part-time work and Economy Minister Katherina Reiche, stepped up calls for action.
During a visit to the northern city of Hamburg, Reiche, also from the CDU, called for "more full-time work, combined with childcare options for families or care for dependents".
The party's pro-business wing is proposing restricting the right to part-time work, currently guaranteed by law.
Under this plan, it would be allowed only for specific reasons such as raising children, caring for relatives, or vocational training. The initiative is to be discussed at the CDU's congress in February.
The proposal triggered criticism from the centre-left SPD party, the junior partners in the ruling coalition.
"The CDU would be well advised to not keep repeating that people in Germany don't work enough," Manuela Schwesig, state premier of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, told Stern magazine.
IG Metall, the powerful metalworkers' union, also voiced concerns.
"The problem is not a lack of willingness or performance, but inadequate conditions" for those who cannot work full time, union chief Christiane Benner told a press conference in Frankfurt.
Merz sparked controversy recently when he criticised what he considers to be an excessive level of sick leave in Germany.
He noted that workers average almost three weeks off a year due to illness, and questioned why they are allowed to obtain sick notes by consulting a doctor on the phone.

Sumber : AFP