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‘If the CDU loses in 2013, it will lose its identity’

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives performed a dramatic U-turn this weekend by proposing a universal minimum wage in Germany. The Local’s media roundup explores the cause and implications of her party's leftward swerve.

‘If the CDU loses in 2013, it will lose its identity’
Photo: DPA

If Germany’s political punditocracy can be believed, Merkel has decided that her current centre-right coalition with the pro-business, low-taxation Free Democratic Party (FDP) is unlikely to survive the next general election in 2013.

Instead, by floating the idea of a universal minimum wage, which her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has always opposed, Merkel appears to be preparing for another centrist alliance with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Merkel governed Germany with the SPD after her first election victory in 2005, but switched coalition partners in 2009, when the FDP’s success made a right-wing coalition possible. But the FDP struggled to assert its tax cuts in office, partly because of economic necessities, and the pro-business party’s opinion poll ratings have plummeted.

Merkel’s proposal is for a minimum hourly wage of at least €6.90, and the suggestion sparked a gale of comment and criticism on Monday. Dieter Hundt, head of the German Employers’ Association (BDA), was particularly unimpressed, telling state broadcaster Deutschlandradio that the move was not justifiable, and “very incomprehensible.”

He also took exception to Merkel’s linguistic gymnastics to get round the ban on a minimum wage in her current coalition contract. Merkel has called the proposal a “market-based organized lower limit for wages,” which did little to fool Hundt.

Merkel’s distinction between “minimum” and “market-based lower limit” means that business, rather than government, will set the final figure, but Karl-Josef Laumann, chairman of the Christian Democratic Employees’ Association (CDA), said that it amounted to the same outcome.

“The lower limit will be set by a commission – that’s what we would like,” Laumann told radio station HR-info Monday morning. “But of course the figure has to be fixed in law, otherwise people wouldn’t be able to claim it.”

Right-wing newspaper Die Welt saw Merkel’s proposal as a significant political risk. “Just as with the nuclear energy phaseout, Merkel is betting on taking the wind out of the opposition’s sails to be better equipped for the 2013 election,” the paper wrote in its leader. “That’s risky. If the CDU loses in two years’ time, then it won’t just lose power, it will lose its identity.”

The paper also detected another sign of lack of confidence in the heart of government. “The head of the party doesn’t just lack people who can trumpet the government’s successes with charisma, intelligence and chutzpah,” Die Welt wrote. “It also lacks leaders who can make concessions to the political zeitgeist and serve its core voters.”

The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung thinks Merkel’s CDU is not so much missing the zeitgeist, as desperately trying to keep up with it. The paper says “neo-liberal recipes” clearly no longer impress German voters.

“For the CDU, this is a similar shift to the nuclear phaseout or the scrapping of conscription – a late adjustment to reality,” the FAZ wrote. “It has been obvious for a long time that societal fairness – a broader notion than the celebrated phrase ‘social justice’ – demands a minimum wage.”

But Handelsblatt has a different take. The financial daily thinks Merkel is not seriously proposing a minimum wage at all, but is playing a deft trick on voters.

“Merkel is just playing the ball into the employer’s court,” the paper wrote on Monday. “If they angrily dismiss a universal minimum wage – and anything else would be a big surprise – then Merkel and co. can wash their hands in innocence and say, ‘It didn’t fail because of us.’”

Munich’s Süddeutsche Zeitung focused on the fate of the FDP, and its own attempts to keep up with the popular mood.

“Many party members fear that, after the nuclear phaseout and its new modesty in tax policy, the FDP is facing new flip-flop accusations,” the centre-left paper wrote. “But on the other hand, broad swathes of the FDP are realizing that the ‘fairness aspect’ of its tax policy cannot be ignored, even for the working population.”

The Local/bk

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WORKING IN GERMANY

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Bavaria is no doubt a beautiful state with a strong economy, but can be a hard place for non-German speakers to integrate. The Local takes a look at job opportunities in Germany’s southeastern 'Free State.'

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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