Chainsaw maker STIHL chief calls for longer hours without extra pay
In an opinion piece for Euronews, Dr Nikolas Stihl, chairman of world-leading chainsaw maker STIHL, calls for reforms including a 40-hour working week without extra pay to safeguard Germany's prosperity and welfare state.
Nikolas Stihl, the grandson of STIHL's founder, has called for more working hours without additional compensation to boost Germany's economic growth. The family-owned company, which is the world's best-selling chainsaw brand, reported €5.48 billion in revenue and employs 20,246 people globally.
Stihl attributes Germany's economic struggles to factors like overregulation, high energy costs, labor costs, taxes, and a declining education level. Although the government's proposed reforms are considered reasonable compromises, Stihl argues they fall short of addressing the nation's structural issues. He suggests further reforms, including reducing bureaucracy, increasing overall economic activity, lowering labor costs, and boosting research and development.
Stihl emphasizes the need for Germans to work more to maintain prosperity and social benefits. He advocates for higher weekly working hours, up to 40 hours, without pay increases, to offset the effects of demographic change and demographic shift. Stihl also recommends eliminating sick pay from the first day of illness and phone-in sick notes, making public administration more efficient, and providing more support for innovative industries such as AI, robotics, biotechnology, and quantum technologies.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
