Overview
- Led by Stefan Nacke, the CDU/CSU’s 62-member Arbeitnehmergruppe urges abolishing Minijobs where they replace regular jobs and proposes a phased shift into social‑insurance employment.
- Minijobs are criticized as a "parallel world of work" that erodes the welfare state, with the "brutto equals netto" setup shifting costs for sickness, unemployment and old age onto the public.
- Roughly six to eight million people hold Minijobs, heavily in retail, hospitality and cleaning, which critics say have turned an exception into a default arrangement.
- SPD politicians and the union ver.di support curbs, with the SPD advocating insurance contributions from the first euro and ver.di calling the model a dead end for many women.
- The path to legislation is uncertain because the coalition pact contains no reform promise, while retail and hospitality groups warn cutbacks could strain staffing and service.