Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) – The DGB district chairman Michael Rudolph gave Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) a bad reference after his first 100 days in office. “100 days of standstill are not a good balance sheet,” said the head of the German trade union federation in Hesse-Thuringia of the German Press Agency in Wiesbaden. “You don’t shape the future of Hesse with announcements, it takes decisive action and we don’t see that.”
The announced round table on the social consequences of the gas crisis is a long time coming. The country must introduce a hardship fund for low- and middle-income households who are in distress. “Nobody should be allowed to freeze. That must be the maxim for this winter,” warned the trade unionist in view of the energy crisis caused by the Russian war against Ukraine. “We have to take away the fear of not being able to pay their electricity and gas bills and guarantee them financial support.”
The employees in Hesse also needed security in the face of change. The trade unions were still waiting for an invitation to the economic summit to shape the transformation, which was “so boldly announced in the government statement,” explained Rudolph. “We learn from the media that securing and creating jobs is supposed to be important, but the quality of the work doesn’t seem to matter.” An effective reform of the collective agreement and procurement law is also not in sight. “The country is facing immense challenges,” emphasized the DGB boss. “The standstill must end.”
