Latest news with #GermanTradeUnionConfederation
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Half of employed women in Germany work part-time, only 12% among men
Around half of employed women in Germany work part-time, official figures showed on Monday. The Federal Statistical Office said new data reveals 49% of women and 12% of men in employment do not work full-time. According to the Wiesbaden-based agency, 29% of German employees work part-time, more than ever before. Overall, 77% of people between the ages of 15 and 66 are in some form of employment. The figure includes 74% of women, a major increase from the 59% recorded in 2005. The proportion of men in employment has also risen from 71% to 81% over the same period. The data also reveals major insights on gender inequality in parenthood and childcare in Germany. The part-time rate for mothers of underage children is 68%, rising to 73% for those with children under the age of 3 years old. Fathers, on the other hand, are much less likely to work part-time, with the figure falling to 8% among employed men. Top trade union official wants incentives for fair care work Labour Minister Bärbel Bas told the Sunday edition of the Bild newspaper that better working conditions must be created for women to increase employment levels. "Employers must organize the world of work in such a way that more mothers can work full-time," Bas said. In response, a leading trade union official said that the German government must offer incentives for parents to ensure care work is more fairly distributed between women and men. Yasmin Fahimi, head of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), praised Bas' suggestion but warned that women still carry out a far higher proportion of unpaid care work. "Ultimately, it remains the case that the organization of working hours is a highly individual decision, and that more incentives are needed for a better division between the sexes," said Fahimi. She told the Tagesspiegel newspaper in comments released on Monday that fathers in Germany should receive more paid parental leave, including 10 days off following the birth of a child. In Germany, two partners can in total receive up to 14 months of parental allowance while taking parental leave. One partner can receive the parental allowance for up to 12 months. If the other partner also takes time off work for childcare, this only extends the total amount of time that parents can receive the allowance by two months - often referred to in Germany as the "father months."
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trade union: Germany must encourage fairer distribution of care work
The German government must offer incentives for parents to ensure care work is more fairly distributed between women and men, a top trade union official has demanded. Yasmin Fahimi, head of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), told the Tagesspiegel newspaper in comments released on Monday that fathers in Germany should receive more paid parental leave, including 10 days off following the birth of a child. In Germany, two partners can in total receive up to 14 months of parental allowance while taking parental leave. One partner can receive the parental allowance for up to 12 months. If the other partner also takes time off work for childcare, this only extends the total amount of time that parents can receive the allowance by two months - often referred to in Germany as the "father months." Fahimi's proposal came after new Labour Minister Bärbel Bas told the Sunday edition of the Bild newspaper that better working conditions must be created for women to raise employment levels. "Employers must organize the world of work in such a way that more mothers can work full-time," Bas said. The trade union leader praised Bas' suggestion but warned that women still carry out a far higher proportion of unpaid care work. "Ultimately, it remains the case that the organization of working hours is a highly individual decision, and that more incentives are needed for a better division between the sexes," said Fahimi.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some 20,000 join Workers' Day demos in Berlin and Hamburg
Some 20,000 people joined left-wing demonstrations in Germany's two biggest cities, Berlin and Hamburg, to mark International Workers' Day, police said on Thursday. Unlike in previous years, the protests have remained largely peaceful. International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, was established in 1890 as a day of protest and solidarity for the labour movement. It remains a key date for rallies and demonstrations across the country. Some 10,000 people took part in the "Revolutionary May 1 Demonstration" passing through Berlin's Kreuzberg and Neukölln neighbourhoods, according to police estimates. A handful of demonstrators threw fireworks at officers and some participants were detained, police said. Some protesters chanted pro-Palestinian slogans, while some were carrying posters saying "Fight fascism," "Smash repression," "Against racism and repression," and "War on war." The demonstration, organized by left-wing and far-left groups, has repeatedly been the scene of clashes between protesters and police in the past. At least one person was injured as shots were fired in Kreuzberg, but police said the incident occurred away from the protest route, without providing further details. Earlier, some 1,800 people joined a rally passing through Berlin's wealthy Grunewald district on the western outskirts of the city, held under the motto "Billionaires to Mars." Thousands protest in Hamburg More than 9,000 people joined three separate demonstrations organized by left-wing and far-left groups in the northern port city of Hamburg, according to police estimates. All demonstrations were peaceful, with fireworks being set off in some cases, it said. Some 9,000 people also joined a rally organized by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), with some 6,500 joining a protest in Berlin, according to the DGB. Elsewhere in Germany, far-right and left-wing groups clashed on Worker's Day. Scuffles broke out between a left-wing group and supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party at a former coal-mining site in the western German city of Dortmund. A policeman suffered a minor injury when officers intervened to separate the two sides, police said. Police said some 50 AfD supporters had been looking to visit the site in the morning, when some 30 people from left-wing groupings tried to stop them. Police used riot batons and temporarily detained 20 people during clashes with leftist activists protesting at a right-wing demonstration in the western city of Gelsenkirchen. Police blocked the leftists from breaking through police barriers, a police spokeswoman said. She said that two attempts had been made, with the detentions made during the second attempt. She added that one officer had suffered minor injuries but remained on duty. Chancellor Scholz marks Workers' Day Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced support for workers and trade unions in a message on the May 1 public holiday, as his time in office draws to a close. "There are still far too many people who have to work hard for too little money," the centre-left SPD leader wrote on X. "That is why I support decent wages and strong trade unions. They are vital for the social cohesion of our country. That's what May 1 is all about!" The chancellor's centre-left Social Democrats have long-standing ties to organized labour groups. Scholz is set to leave office on Tuesday and be replaced by conservative leader Friedrich Merz.
