Today, I read the following headline in several daily newspapers:
Surprise, surprise! Labour gets more and more expensive. Just imagine all the products you can get for the price of one craftsman’s hour. In Germany, the price of labour is far too high – regardless of the fact that the average working person does not get much of it.
In the financial news of the “Westdeutsche Zeitung”, I read that an increase of unemployment insurance “is likely”. In my opinion, it is not merely “likely”. I am convinced that it will come. Besides, I also take it for granted that the additional value tax will be raised again – after a certain amount of courtesy time has passed. There is no other way, except if you really want to relinquish the principle “preserving our standards of life is our highest priority”. But that is something I do not consider an option in Germany.
However, both a higher social security tax and higher added value tax will make labour even more expensive. And they both encourage illegal employment.
I also find it a little over the top having to read and hear about “illegal employment” all the time. Employment as such is never illegal. If anything, the chosen kind of compensation is illegal. And here, the word “unlawful” would be closer to the truth.
Due to the current enormous amount of extra money you have to pay in Germany, it makes sense that many services can only be delivered by illegal work. And why should we criminalize people in general just because they organize a fair compensation for their labour? To be sure, it fits the times. Still, it is most dishonest.
Just like illegally employed people are ostracized because, allegedly, they do not take the general welfare into consideration. I ask you: who of the people living in this country ever thinks of the general welfare? Politicians? Managers? Unionists? Recipients of Hartz-IV?
Moreover, without illegal employment, many sectors in Germany would simply break down. And many of us overworked people would have no time at all left for leisure, because what little remains would have to be wasted on do-it-yourself repair works, housecleaning at night, bicycle repair, and the like.
RMD
(Translated by EG)
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