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Trade union boss rains on Köhler’s unity parade

Franz-Josef Möllenberg, head of the NGG food industry trade union, has expressed scepticism about German President Horst Köhler's call for employer-worker unity to defeat the economic crisis.

Published: 27 December 2008 13:15 CET

Trade union boss rains on Köhler's unity parade

Photo: DPA

“Even while we’re listening to the president’s beautiful words, we have Dieter Hundt, the president of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA), telling us ‘there will be no universal job-guarantee’, ” he said in an interview given on Saturday in Berlin.

According to Möllenberg, going into discussions with this attitude does not demonstrate a new spirit of togetherness, but “a one-sided insistence on false viewpoints.” He also rejected the latest proposal of the German chamber of commerce and industry (DIHK) to combat increasing sick-leave figures by reducing wages in the first days of sickness. “It’s the same cynical argument that employers have been peddling for years. This is how human beings get reduced to monetary costs.”

Köhler called for a new “spirit of togetherness” in Sunday’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper. According to Köhler, the experience of the last few years showed that a good social partnership between employers and workers has led to successes in reducing unemployment.

Köhler gave his support to new instruments that allow employees to benefit from a company’s success. “For me, that means profit-sharing and sharing productive property, as long as the risk is spread fairly,” he said. Köhler sees much greater scope for the development of this kind of social partnership than is practised at present.

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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