Hesse’s Minister President Boris Rhein (CDU) has spoken out in favor of increasing the weekly working hours. “We must get used to working more again in Germany,” Rhein told the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND on Monday). “That is not a bad thing, but can be very fulfilling.”
Rhein pointed to the economic recovery in Greece following the financial crisis. “They are now discussing whether to work on Saturdays as well and move to a six-day week,” the CDU politician said. “In Germany, by contrast, we are debating a four-day week,” he complained. He argued that Germany cannot maintain its prosperity by working less. “I am, in any case, advocating more work.”
Rhein also called for a “new respect for performance.” The principle, he said, must be: “Anyone who achieves something has more to expect from the state and society than someone who achieves less.”
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