Germany: Gerhard Schröder threatens companies if they don’t hire more apprentices.

Dw-World ^ | 09/09/03 | Dw-World

[Pikamax]

Schröder Gets Tough on Traineeship Deficit

Not enough to go around -- Germany faces a disastrous dearth of internships for young graduates.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has threatened companies with legal measures if they don’t hire more apprentices and help the many high school graduates currently in limbo.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder met with the heads of the country’s trade unions after a two-month break on Monday.

Unlike past acrimonious meetings dominated by strident opposition among the unions to the chancellor’s raft of economic and labor reforms, this time the two sides were in consensus on a key issue plaguing the labor market: the dire lack of apprenticeships for Germany’s high school graduates.

Schröder, who had vowed an "open dialogue" with the trade unions about his "Agenda 2010" economic reforms ahead of Monday’s talks, showed himself willing to listen to the unions’ grievances about the disastrous apprenticeship situation. The chancellor admitted there was a problem. "It has to get better," Schröder said after the meeting.

With thousands of high school graduates expected to be in search of an apprenticeship this autumn, the chancellor appealed to companies to fulfill their obligations in filling apprenticeship spots and threatened that "legal measures would be necessary" if businesses failed to create more opportunites voluntarily.

Punishing companies for not hiring apprentices

Trade unions in Germany have long been demanding the imposition of a fine on companies that didn’t train graduates or offered few apprenticeships.

In a television interview last week, Schröder emphasized that "those who trained apprentices, should be given a respite, while those who refuse to hire apprentices, should be reined in." He refused to say how exactly the government expected to push companies to hire apprentices. "This is a question of solidarity, I don’t what to talk of force," Schröder added. The chancellor added on Monday that if companies were indeed fined, it would have to be done on a branch specific basis and made as unbureaucratic as possible.

Schröder also made clear that companies had a deadline of September 30 to fill in apprenticeships, but added it wasn’t an ultimatum and that apprentices could be hired even after that date.

Trade unions gleeful about chancellor's stance

The chancellor’s stance and "clear words" have been welcomed by the unions. Though trade union leaders reiterated their vehement opposition to the chancellor’s "Agenda 2010" labor reforms, they were clearly pleased with Schröder’s pro-union position when it came to apprenticeships.

Frank Bsirske, head of the country’s largest services union, ver.di, said he hoped it would help guide young people out of a "working trap" and stressed he was in favor of introducing a penalty on companies which were not doing their bit in hiring apprentices. Michael Sommer, head of the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB), pointed out that there was a shortfall of 113,000 apprenticeships at the beginning of the month and said he expected a further 10,000 young graduates to be looking for an apprenticeship by the end of September.

Industry leaders up in arms

But Schröder’s latest move to end graduates’ job misery and to lay the groundwork for a solid and well-trained workforce has rubbed industry leaders up the wrong way at a time when they are already suffering in these bleak economic times.

Dieter Hundt, head of the Confederation of German Employers’ Association, told the daily Berliner Zeitung that "repeated threats" from trade unions and politicians to fine companies not hiring enough apprentices was "highly counter-productive" and would lead to less apprenticeships, not more. Dieter Philipp, president of the German Skilled Trades Association, said, "Such threats only lead to the fact that companies increasingly hold back with hiring more apprentices."

Unexpected support for companies has come from within Schröder’s own Social Democrat ranks, with German Economics and Labor Minister Wolfgang Clement saying he feared a state-run apprenticeship program if the government decided to fine companies for not hiring trainees. Clement said he was skeptical about the effectiveness of legal measures and said he was sure that companies and commerce chambers would create more apprenticeships. "I belong to those who are convinced that acting voluntarily is better, it promises more success."

However a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung on Sunday threw a pall on the hopeful outcome of the meeting between the chancellor and the unions. The paper said that numerous large companies would be hiring less apprentices this year as compared to 2002. Among those listed were Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, insurer Allianz, Lufthansa (photo), Siemens, trucking company MAN and software giant SAP.

[Pukin Dog]

If there was any remaining doubt, Germany has confirmed that it is now a socialist nation.

[Mon]

My niece in Germany cannot find a job, just graduated High School, good grades, good reviews from teachers. An example: Germany has different types of high schools (not like only one for everybody like here). Some businesses actually only want to train somebody to become a florist or hair dresser if she/he went to the high school where you learn several languages, etc. How mad are they?

[Dog Gone]

Holy smokes, I had no idea that Germany was this far gone.

Ordering businesses to hire workers? Even our evil Rats haven't suggested that.

The difference between this and communism is not much.

[Mo1]

In a television interview last week, Schröder emphasized that "those who trained apprentices, should be given a respite, while those who refuse to hire apprentices, should be reined in." He refused to say how exactly the government expected to push companies to hire apprentices. "This is a question of solidarity, I don’t what to talk of force," Schröder added. The chancellor added on Monday that if companies were indeed fined, it would have to be done on a branch specific basis and made as unbureaucratic as possible.

Watch many companies leave Germany if Schröder tries this crap.

Schröder = Dictator

[Mon]

Over there trade schools are combined with actually getting hired and trained in a company (not sure how to explain it, you get paid for being trained actually). So, if you don't get trained for a certain career you don't really get a good paying job for life......

[Bonaparte]

It's fascism, a system Germany became quite accustomed to. You can own your business on paper, but the state can tell you who to hire, what to produce, how to price it, etc. That's exactly what Hitler did and it's exactly what Schroeder does.

[Dog Gone]

But such a system would stifle creativity, individualism, and competition which is essential to creating new products, ideas, and wealth for the entire country. That's good for creating socialist robots, but not too good for much else.

I'm in awe that it became this bad.

[Mon]

I know, but that's how it is since after WWII. I grew up there. I feel really sad for my niece, what opportunities she would have in the USA! You go to one High School, EVERYBODY has a chance to go to college! That's why I love this country and became a citizen, I'm here for good :)

[onedoug]

National socialism?

[okie01]

"Ordering businesses to hire workers? Even our evil Rats haven't suggested that."

But Pat Buchanan has...

[Lancey Howard]

I thought I read a thread a few months ago about German companies relocating to non-communist countries like Belgium. I think they were also gravitating toward the capitalist countries of new Europe.

The similarity between the socialist states of Germany and California is striking. Gray Schroder and the socialist Democrats are chasing away the hosts until they are left with only the parasites who elect and reelect them.

[Mon]

I forgot to say that in the past it was easier for the kids to find a "training job" with "regular" High School diplomas there. But now they expect to much. It would take to much time and posting to explain how exactly it works there. There are other countries in Europe who function that way.

[Mon]

Gray Schroder and the socialist Democrats are chasing away the hosts until they are left with only the parasites who elect and reelect them. ROFLMAO!

[Agnes Heep]

There's nothing necessarily wrong with the system used, but what gets me is that the socialist government does everything it can to keep corporations from having the werewithal to hire employees, then tries to order it at the point of a gun. Once you've reached that juncture, you're too far gone.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"The difference between this and communism is not much."

It is fascism. Private ownership, government control.

[LPStar]

Keep in mind there is strict protectionism about who is allowed to work at particular jobs. So you can't decide to go out and paint someone's house or cook at a restaurant or arrange flowers (for example) if you haven't gone through the bureaucratic multi-year training/apprenticeship/certification hoops. So with the current system, young people really do have almost no hope of employment unless someone is forced to hire them.

[polemikos]

The difference between this and communism is not much.

It is fascism. Private ownership, government control.

Each the spawn of the left.

[Moonman62]

I wonder of the companies are required to pay some extortionist minimum wage to these apprentices.

[CasearianDaoist]

It is not a bad system - if driven by markets. Way too many people go to colleges over here - the result is that many of our degree programs are quite useless in terms of real academic knowledge. A society only need a certain amount of academic types. One of the reasons that germany has excelled in traditional engineering (cars, machine tools, etc.) is their apprentice system. We might consider a less ridgid and schematic version of this system if we ever get around to reforming our educational system