Trade unions: Budget crisis costs thousands of jobs
Negotiations on the 2024 budget are continuing, with the business community in particular hoping for a quick agreement. Trade union representatives are already pointing out what will happen if "the brakes on Germany's renewal" are not finally released.
In view of the still unresolved budget crisis, the trade union camp is sounding the alarm. DGB, IG Metall and IGBCE warned of an exodus of industry and the loss of thousands of jobs. In a joint appeal, they call on politicians to quickly develop viable solutions to the challenges posed by the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court. In the short term, it must be ensured that the essential public investments and funding instruments for private investments in the green transformation and other future technologies are also available in 2024.
"A quick and constitutional solution for securing the tasks of the century is the creation of a special fund in the Basic Law to finally release the brakes on the renewal of our country," explained DGB head Yasmin Fahimi. All responsible democrats must now join forces to achieve this.
The trade unions are also calling for competitive electricity prices for energy-intensive industries as well as a multi-year plan for the ramp-up of public sector investment and its swift implementation. The current uncertainty in the economy is dangerous: long-term, risky investments that companies now have to make cannot be reconciled with constant regulatory changes due to new political requirements.
Scholz, Habeck and Lindner come together
According to Michael Vassiliadis, head of the German Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IGBCE), the order of the day is to combine public funds with private investment: "If we do not invest boldly in modernization now, we will leave a run-down country to future generations."
On Sunday afternoon, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economics Minister Robert Habeck want to continue negotiations on the 2024 budget, which must be amended following the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court.
In mid-November, the Federal Constitutional Court declared it inadmissible to reallocate loans planned for corona consequences to the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF). This created a financial gap of 60 billion euros. For the 2024 federal budget, this amounts to 17 billion euros.
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The German Federation of Trade Unions, along with IG Metall and IG BCE, are advocating for a quick resolution to the budgetary policy challenges, highlighting the potential loss of thousands of jobs due to the ongoing budget crisis. They urge politicians to promptly address the issues posed by the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling with appropriate solutions.
In the wake of the court's decision, DGB head Yasmin Fahimi proposes creating a special fund in the Basic Law as a constitutional solution to advance Germany's renewal, emphasizing the importance of collaborative effort from all democratic leaders.
Source: www.ntv.de
