After the surprising resignation of Labor Minister and SPD leader Bärbel Bas, eyes are turning to her successor in the ministerial office, Alexander Schweitzer. Even before his swearing in in the afternoon, the SPD politician is confronted with demands from the camp of his coalition partner CDU.
The CDU Economic Council called on the new labor minister to change course for the department. “The new appointment will hopefully bring new political will to shape things,” said General Secretary Wolfgang Steiger to the Augsburger Allgemeine. The change brings "the chance to bring new movement into the recently deadlocked disputes over reform and social policy."
Open points regarding pension and working hours
Steiger warned of the urgency of pension reform and the same applies to a new working time law. The CDU Economic Council is pushing for maximum weekly working hours. Under Bas, the SPD-led Ministry of Labor had linked this to a collective bargaining agreement for companies - in Steiger's eyes, a "new bureaucratic monster".
Schweitzer's new department includes two reforms: working hours and pensions, where the SPD and CDU still have to clarify open points. There is disagreement not only about the abolition of the early pension without deductions after 45 years of contributions, but also about how to deal with mini-jobs and other issues.
The CDU in particular is taking far too long until a draft law on the planned pension reform is presented. Chancellor Friedrich Merz had to move the target for the pension reform resolution in the Bundestag last week from the end of the year to spring. After Bas' resignation, Merz stepped on the gas again: The change in the Ministry of Labor "should speed up the processes," said Merz. He hopes that the government's proposed legislation will be passed quickly.
Söder does not want to wait for the SPD party conference to introduce reforms
In the ARD Focus, CSU boss Markus Söder also emphasized that time is running out. “We have to make decisions” - and they shouldn’t wait until the SPD party conference at the turn of the year, said Söder. He had clear expectations of Schweitzer: He had to accept the agreements reached in the coalition and not question them. When it comes to the so-called pension at 63, there should be no “general return to work,” said the CSU boss - but admitted the possibility of hardship exceptions and transitional rules.
Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer expressed similar claims: He called for rapid reform steps in the Leipziger Volkszeitung. He called Schweitzer a valued colleague from the Prime Minister's Conference - who now has important tasks ahead of him: "Especially when it comes to pensions, we need solutions that are sustainable in the long term and take into account the different employment histories in Germany."
Freely convinced of a common solution
Union parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei sounded a little more conciliatory in the daily topics. The SPD and the Union know that the goals set have not yet been achieved. "We have to achieve significantly better results." However, Frei was optimistic: There is no reason to assume that the tasks cannot be successfully accomplished together as a coalition. “I am convinced that we will come to a common solution on pensions, similar to other issues that affect the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs,” said Frei.
Bärbel Bas also spoke of her coalition partner when she resigned from public attacks while she was mourning - but SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf does not see the cooperation with the CDU at risk. “I don’t see them as so shattered that we can’t now close these construction sites that we have in common together again,” said Klüssendorf in the joint ARD and ZDF morning magazine. When it comes to pensions, for example, 30 out of 33 measures are uncritical, emphasized Klüssendorf. "In the end we will find an agreement on this, I am very sure and confident of that."
Klingbeil: “On schedule for the pension reform too”
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil also wants to bring the reforms through quickly - but is trying to take some of the pressure off the matter: "As agreed, we were also on schedule for the pension reform," he explained on ARD Brennpunkt on Monday evening. The coalition had agreed to wait for the three state elections in September before introducing legislation. There are also substantive questions that need to be clarified. Bas did not slow down the reform, he defended the work of the former SPD co-leader.
The new Labor Minister Schweitzer wants to get started quickly, emphasized Klingbeil. There is “no wobble” that the reform is coming.
Merz at employer day
The pressure is likely to increase today for Chancellor Friedrich Merz: he is speaking at the employers' day - and the calls for change from business are particularly loud.
In the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, employers' president Rainer Dulger drew bleak prospects for the future if the social system were not reformed: "If the state of paralysis lasts until the next election, possibly until 2029, it would be a political and economic catastrophe." Dulger described the Pension Commission's proposals as "inherently coherent". The end of the tax-free pension from the age of 63 is long overdue.
The federal government's reform course is likely to be the main topic at the employers' day - but also the resignation of Bärbel Bas. She was actually scheduled to appear there as Labor Minister.
