Erfurt (dpa/th) - Left parliamentary group leader Steffen Dittes advocates the establishment of a "chamber of work" to represent employees based on the Austrian model in Thuringia. Dittes justified his initiative on Thursday in Erfurt by bundling consulting and further training offers and, in cooperation with the Chambers of Industry and Commerce and Chambers of Crafts, help to alleviate the problem of skilled workers in Thuringia. "A labor chamber could also take on tasks related to the integration of migrants into the labor market."
According to Dittes, there are good experiences with such an institution - as a kind of counterpart to the chamber structures of the companies - not only in Austria. Bremen and Saarland also have labor chambers. As with the Chambers of Industry and Commerce, for example, it could be financed through membership fees - employees would then have to pay a contribution in the single-digit euro range and would receive services from the chamber in return.
The parliamentary group leader of the left pointed out that the red-red-green coalition had planned in its 2019 contract to examine the establishment of a working chamber. He acknowledged that unions, as workers' advocates, were critical of such a project.
It's not about copying models from other countries, "but developing a model that's suitable for Thuringia." In view of the demographic development with around a quarter of a million fewer Thuringians of working age by 2040, the recruitment of skilled workers would have to be improved.
Dittes also proposed a training support fund, which has so far only existed in Germany in Bremen. He could accompany young people who, according to the companies, are not yet capable of training and help to reduce deficits. The economy would also benefit from this, as it is currently unable to find any applicants for some of the training positions it offers.
