Less holidays for Berlin? Entrepreneurs demand workers instead of calm!

Less holidays for Berlin? Entrepreneurs demand workers instead of calm!

In Berlin, there is a hotly discussion about holidays! While the Berlin-Brandenburg (UVB) business associations are demanding to reduce public holidays to boost the economy, the Brandenburg SPD wants to introduce the International Women's Day, which will be celebrated on March 8, as a statutory holiday. These controversy are the result of a tense economic situation that affects both the capital and Brandenburg.

Alexander Schirp, general manager of the UVB, urges to rethink the number of holidays. "Every additional working day brings Berlin an economic benefit of around 230 million euros," says Schirp. He suggests moving public holidays to the surrounding Sundays so as not to affect the productive time. "That also applies to March 8," he says, and refers to the newly introduced holiday on May 8, which was introduced on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, as B.Z. reported.

SPD advance for the Women's Day and resistance of the economy

On the other hand, the youth organization of the SPD in the state of Brandenburg has overwhelmed an application for the introduction of March 8 as a statutory holiday. This is now to be checked by the parliamentary group. However, this initiative has met with sharp criticism from the corporate associations, which warn that an additional holiday would reduce Brandenburg's economic performance by an estimated 107 million euros. "The companies need every single working day to survive," emphasizes Schirp. The low annual working time in Germany is already a major problem, as [rbbb24 reported] (https://www.rbb24.de/politik/btebag/2023/11/brandenburg-spd-feiertag-8-maerz-international-frauentag-kriv-Wirtschaft.html).

The discussion about Women's Day shows the tense conditions between workers' interests and economic necessities, while Berlin and Brandenburg are striving for further economic growth.