Erfurt (dpa/th) – The North and Central Thuringian trades have expressed disappointment with the federal government’s new relief package. The craft was forgotten in the government’s relief packages, said Thomas Malcherek, general manager of the Erfurt Chamber of Crafts, on Monday. A non-bureaucratic rescue package for energy-intensive companies is needed as quickly as possible.
“For many of our craft businesses, especially for energy-intensive companies such as bakeries or laundries, it is currently no longer possible to operate economically,” said Malcherek. The chambers received more and more existential emergency calls from companies that now need help immediately. The corona pandemic, rising material prices and staff shortages have left their mark. And not all price increases could be passed on to customers.
“When the economic fuse burns at both ends, on the cost and on the sales side, there is no way out for many companies,” warned the managing director. As a result, numerous jobs and training positions are threatened. Even if the federal government is now planning to improve the package, promised aid would sometimes arrive much too late. “There is a risk that many companies will long have run out of breath before the promised relief takes effect.”
