In view of the war in Ukraine and the spreading corona wave, Prime Minister Markus Söder has called on trade unions and business to close ranks. “It’s not about camaraderie, it’s about treating common goals with respect,” said the CSU leader on Monday after a meeting with the chief executive of the Bavarian Business Association, Bertram Brossardt, and the chairman of the DGB Bavaria, Bernhard Stiedl Munich. “We’re worried about the future.”
Trade unions, business and politics face a common challenge to maintain prosperity in the country, said Söder. This is not an easy task due to rising energy prices, as the economic forecasts show. A transparent counter-strategy is therefore needed, such as how to reduce the financial burden on the one hand and how to ensure the energy supply on the other. As in the past few weeks, Söder emphasized that from his point of view the federal plans were not sufficient. In view of the shortage of skilled workers, all legal hurdles must also be lowered for strategic immigration.
When asked, Brossardt emphasized that he did not expect a wave of layoffs in the coming winter. However, there will be jobs at risk “to a considerable extent”, simply because the companies would not be able to produce without gas. However, he assumes that short-time work regulations could prevent layoffs for a certain period. “It’s going to be an extremely difficult winter,” he said, but painting pessimistic doesn’t help. Stiedl also warned that people should prepare better for autumn and winter when it comes to corona management. Lockdowns must be prevented, schools and daycare centers must also be kept open.
Bavaria’s SPD leader Florian von Brunn called for Söder to be more committed to relief: “The money is there because of the additional tax revenue. The SPD has submitted concrete proposals – about 100 euros per additional child in Bavaria.” Söder should not always only make demands on Berlin.