Here We Go

This is hardly surprising, now is it? Perhaps the key phrase is this: “I said this in China and I say it here?.?.?.?more people are competing for the best ideas than in the past, and the high standard of living we have achieved can no longer be taken for granted.” Evidently.

Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday demanded more labour market flexibility and fewer rights for workers on company boards in comments that opened new battle lines with Germany’s trade union movement.

Speaking at a DGB trade union federation congress in Berlin, Ms Merkel rejected labour movement demands for a minimum wage of €7.50 ($9.64, £5.12) an hour, and said the system of co-determination, which gives German workers a role in corporate decision-making, should be adapted to “the new business realities across Europe”.