Video: watson/nina bürge
May 12, 2026, 1:14 p.mMay 12, 2026, 1:14 p.m
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for far-reaching social reforms at a congress of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) and received whistles and boos for them.
The Christian Democrat, who has been governing in a coalition with the Social Democratic SPD for around a year, barely got through to the around 400 DGB delegates with his appeal to see the reform process as an opportunity rather than a threat and to take part in it.
Merz emphasized again that prosperity in Germany cannot be secured without economic growth. To achieve this, far-reaching reforms are necessary. “We have simply failed to modernize our country,” emphasized the conservative head of government. “So Germany has to pull itself together.”
Video: watson/nina bürge
To this end, entrepreneurial initiative must also be promoted. “We can’t just carry on like we’ve been doing for the last 20 years,” said Merz, who has historically low popularity ratings in the latest surveys. The place from which one can shape the country for the better, “that is not the brake”.
“No malice from me or the federal government”
When Merz described the savings measures his government had already decided on for statutory health insurance, there were the first whistles, boos and heckling. He described the pension reform coming in the summer as the “toughest plank”.
“None of this is any malice on my part or on the part of the federal government,” he emphasized. «It’s demography and mathematics. It is simply beyond the strength of two contributors if they have to finance one person’s pension in the future. Here too, Merz was interrupted by boos and even laughter.
Merz appealed to trade unionists to take part in the reforms. “We need this joint search for ways that will move our country forward,” he said. “Today we must be able to find the best way together.” (sda/dpa)