BB.lv: Germany has a record number of workers

There are currently more than 46 million employed citizens in Germany, which is more than ever before, said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the occasion of International Labor Day. Last year, employees in Germany worked a record number of hours in total, he emphasized in a video message released on Wednesday, May 1.

At the same time, in the coming years the country will need even more workers, the head of the German government further indicated. “Therefore, we are also making sure that those who came to us because of the Russian war against Ukraine get to work as soon as possible,” he further noted. According to Scholz, work is about more than just making money, but also a sense of community, colleagues and recognition.

Scholz rejected further increases in the retirement age

At the same time, the German Chancellor clearly rejected the possibility of an even greater increase in the retirement age in Germany. “For me, this is a matter of decency – not to question the well-deserved pension for those who have already worked for a long time,” the Social Democrat emphasized. Young people at the start of their working lives, he said, also have the right to know how long they will have to work.

In turn, German Labor Minister Hubertus Heil called for no reduction in social benefits. “May 1 is a day of solidarity. We will not allow ourselves to be split,” he said in an interview with the Tagesspiegel newspaper. According to him, on International Labor Day he especially wants to emphasize that he will not allow the rights of workers to be infringed and the social state to be destroyed.

On May 1, demonstrations will be held throughout Germany for improved working conditions. The central action of the Association of German Trade Unions (DGB) will take place in Hannover.