energy
IG Metall boss calls for price caps for gas and electricity
Energy costs in Germany continue to rise – a relief package is intended to remedy the situation. photo
© Marijan Murat/dpa
A third relief package is in the works – the traffic light government wants to deliver shortly. Suggestions for measures and financing methods come from IG Metall, among others.
In the debate about mitigating the high prices for energy and food, the IG Metall trade union has called for a price cap for gas and electricity. The first chairman Jörg Hofmann also spoke out in favor of a second energy price lump sum. In addition to employees, you also have to help pensioners and students.
The federal government must now send noticeable social signals, Hofmann told the German Press Agency. “Without affordable energy costs, there is a risk that social cohesion will break.” Unlike many companies, people could not pass on the massive price increases, said Hofmann. “At the same time, they have to experience how billions in taxes are supposed to subsidize energy companies, for example.”
Focus on low earners and pensioners
The federal government is currently working on a new relief package. From the perspective of the SPD, it should primarily support people and families with low and middle incomes as well as pensioners. The next meeting of the concerted action by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, employers and trade unions will take place in mid-September. The SPD politician had launched the round because of the high inflation.
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil spoke out in favor of passing on crisis profits from corporations to people with low incomes. “We can redistribute random profits from large companies to people with an income of 1,500, 2,000 or 3,000 euros,” said Klingbeil of the Funke media group. “It’s also a question of social cohesion in our society. Everyone has to do their part so that we can get through this challenging time well.”
At the start of the Lower Saxony SPD’s election campaign, Klingbeil spoke out in favor of introducing a limited excess profit tax. He got to know Finance Minister Christian Lindner from the FDP in the coalition negotiations as someone “who is open to one or the other good argument, and I’m counting on that now”.
Time is running out
Green Party leader Ricarda Lang told the Funke newspapers that the relief package should be available “soon”. SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert recently made a similar statement. FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr was skeptical about possible one-off payments in the Funke newspapers.
Like Hofmann, the head of the Verdi union, Frank Werneke, also demanded payment of a new energy flat rate. This should be 500 euros and also go to pensioners as well as students and beneficiaries, Werneke told the “Rheinische Post”.
The federal government’s patient representative, Stefan Schwartze, is pushing for a rescue package for medical facilities that are in trouble because of energy costs. “A lot of institutions are turning to me because they can no longer pay the massively increased energy prices, it’s about increases tenfold. This massively endangers institutions in the health and social sectors,” said the S politician to the “Westfalen-Blatt “.
Gerd Landsberg, general manager of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, called for a simple procedure in the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. “The relief should focus on people with low and middle incomes and must work simply and unbureaucratically,” said Landsberg. “The easiest way would certainly be a temporary allowance based on income limits and the number of children.”