Germans 'Take Too Many Holidays'

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 6-19-2003 | Kate Connolly

[blam]

Germans 'take too many holidays'

By Kate Connolly in Berlin
(Filed: 19/06/2003)

"Lazy Germans" might seem like an oxymoron, but not to Germany's economics minister, who said yesterday his compatriots take too many holidays and are damaging the country's prospects.

Wolfgang Clement called for an increase in working hours and a cut in the number of holidays, saying Germans take an embarrassing number compared with other European workers.

"With regards to holidays, public days off and working hours we have without a doubt reached our limit," he said. "Anyone who compares our holiday calendar with that of other countries can really start to worry." Germany's economy is one of the worst performing of all industrial countries and it has the lowest growth rate in Europe. Unemployment, at 10.4 per cent, is at the highest level since German reunification, and Germany tops the table for freizeit, or free time.

The nation with a reputation for hard work has on average 43 days off a year - 13 public holidays, the rest annual leave. It is followed by Austria and Spain which each have 37.

Britain comes fourth in a survey of 10 countries by the German Employers' Association, with 33.5 days, nine of them public holidays.

Mr Clement's remarks were partly directed at steel workers in eastern Germany who are striking for a shorter, 35-hour working week. Unemployment is at 18.3 per cent. "This amounts to a conflict at the wrong time in a totally wrong place," he said.

The Social Democrat, impatiently trying to push through economic reform against strong opposition, not least in his own party, has gained support from economics experts who say a cut in holidays or a one-hour increase in the working week could boost the economy, now close to recession, by 1.6 per cent.

Economic analysts have predicted increased growth of 0.5 per cent next year, when several public holidays are due at weekends, said Mr Clement.

[nutmeg]

ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.

[knews_hound]

Like fingers in a dike, they continue to try to salvage what cannot be saved.

When the Germany Economy is stragled and dead the German People might throw the Socialists out.

Until then...

Drip, drip, drip...


Cheers,

knews hound

[SamAdams76]

Give them a 35-hour workweek and soon they will be claiming they are overworked and they'll be bargaining for 30. Where does it end? Well I guess 18.3% of them already found out.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The Germans do appear to have gotten too much sun. The same thing is true with Hawaii. "Aloha" means "hello" and "goodbye". If you've been in the sun long enough, you don't know whether you're coming or going.

[Chi-townChief]

The Germans need to take another 4-year holiday in Paris.

[Lawgvr1955]

Any ideas on what the stats are for the US?

[blam]

"Any ideas on what the stats are for the US?"

No.

I have read that Americans that are employed full time, work more hours per year than workers in any other country.

[tom paine 2]

My fondest memory of Germany was trying to get a loaf of bread on a Saturday close to closing time and they refused to sell it to me because the store was closed. These folks are seriously uptight and definately anally retentive. They are also headed to the ash heap of socialiscm. nBite me you Huns. Foggy is not much better.

[au eagle]

One of the biggest surprises I found in Germany was that the stores closed at 5:00 p.m. I think they need a Wal-Mart SuperCenter!

[A Citizen Reporter]

What? You mean to tell me that the EU standardized a common currency for the continent, but it didn't standardize the working holidays for laborers?

[q_an_a]

I agree with you on this, the big problem is that 40% or more of the work force came from E. Germany in past 12 years and they have not yet given up on a socialist system. They thought that W. Germany was jsut like them only with political freedom.

[Michael81Dus]

The 18.3 are the stats for the Eastern part of Germany. In the west, unemployment rate is ca. 8/9%