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I run a website about migrating to Germany. I have to teol people that they should take sick days when they're sick, and that they should not even look at their

by nicbou 1y ago

I run a website about migrating to Germany. I have to teol people that they should take sick days when they're sick, and that they should not even look at their emails when they're on vacation. It's not just laws, but a culture that backs them up. A favourite fact of mine is that if you're sick when on vacation, you get your vacation days back.

mcntsh 1y ago
My favorite is the right to go to part time work after 6 months. People don't realize the 4 day work week already exists in Germany if you want it.
- stuaxo 1y ago
  Sure, though the 4 day week is really taking the same amount of pay as you would for 5 days, so it's not the same.
  - mcntsh 1y ago
    Sure but it’s not something you could ever expect to do in the US.
cardanome 1y ago
I mean there are still toxic companies in Germany as well. There are people who are too scared to take their sick days. Worker's rights are vastly better in Germany than the US but that is a very low bar to set. If you work at at a company with strong union presence and Betriebsrat, yes, you will have a good life. That is not the reality for most people though. If you work for a smaller company in some low skilled job, your life will be vastly different. Social security and worker's right have constantly been attacked politically in the last decades and are chipped away piece by piece. The public health care system has be systematically and purposely weakened to the point that it is close to collapse. Germany is still one of the better countries to live and work in but not as great as it used to be. But that is true for most countries thanks to the rise of neoliberalism.
- robocat 1y ago
  > Social security and worker's right have constantly been attacked politically in the last decades and are chipped away piece by piece. The public health care system has be systematically and purposely weakened Political off-topic: That is happening in New Zealand too, but the question is, what is the underlying cause? Is it because New Zealand is slowly going broke: failure to increase export earnings due to business owners incentives, structural issues with NZ economy, whatever? Is it because capitalism keeps taking more and workers get less? Is it because NZ society is mimicking American business selfish „ethics“? On reflection, I don't think it is politics nor capitalism . . . I believe it is due to demographics here: it appears that New Zealand cannot afford the expectations set in the past for healthcare and superannuation and worker's rights. Smart capable young NZers emmigrate (mostly to Australia but diaspora to everywhere). It is natural to want to blame the political system, but I believe that demographics cause the same economic pressures, regardless of politics. There needs to be enough workers to tax to pay for the people not working (retirees, sick, unemployed). It is better to think of in terms of hours worked rather than money (same hours are required regardless of political system). I visited Cuba and investigated for myself the gap between truth and propoganda. NZ is doing vastly better with capitalism (capitalism causes serious problems, but authoritarian lefty countries have far worse unescapable problems for individuals). Note that the NZ "right" government is still very "left" compared with say the US. Also note that apparently the current US policy is "PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WITH NO CUTS, INCLUDING NO CHANGES TO THE RETIREMENT AGE" - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44210019 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44210019 Disclosure: I'm a white welloff software WEIRDo dude, but I give careful attention to the problems of others (working-class peers, poorly retirees). I predict future struggles for myself even though I'm well off - and the median person will have it much harder than I. * aside:: tried to do 66 99 „quotes” but can't get the closing to to look like 99s on iPhone
  - cardanome 1y ago
    Demography would make sense as an explanation if productivity stayed the same. As productivity is rising and you need less and less working hours to create the same value, this makes no sense. https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/ https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/ As I said, the main driver is the ideology is neoliberalism. Main cause is the fall of the Soviet Union which removed the only serious competitor to the capitalist model and with this following the general disorganization of the left globally, weakening of unions and so on. Basically capital has no one to be scared off anymore so they can suck you dry without opposition.

by nicbou 1y ago

mcntsh 1y ago

My favorite is the right to go to part time work after 6 months. People don't realize the 4 day work week already exists in Germany if you want it.

stuaxo 1y ago
Sure, though the 4 day week is really taking the same amount of pay as you would for 5 days, so it's not the same.
- mcntsh 1y ago
  Sure but it’s not something you could ever expect to do in the US.

cardanome 1y ago

I mean there are still toxic companies in Germany as well. There are people who are too scared to take their sick days. Worker's rights are vastly better in Germany than the US but that is a very low bar to set. If you work at at a company with strong union presence and Betriebsrat, yes, you will have a good life. That is not the reality for most people though. If you work for a smaller company in some low skilled job, your life will be vastly different. Social security and worker's right have constantly been attacked politically in the last decades and are chipped away piece by piece. The public health care system has be systematically and purposely weakened to the point that it is close to collapse. Germany is still one of the better countries to live and work in but not as great as it used to be. But that is true for most countries thanks to the rise of neoliberalism.

robocat 1y ago
> Social security and worker's right have constantly been attacked politically in the last decades and are chipped away piece by piece. The public health care system has be systematically and purposely weakened Political off-topic: That is happening in New Zealand too, but the question is, what is the underlying cause? Is it because New Zealand is slowly going broke: failure to increase export earnings due to business owners incentives, structural issues with NZ economy, whatever? Is it because capitalism keeps taking more and workers get less? Is it because NZ society is mimicking American business selfish „ethics“? On reflection, I don't think it is politics nor capitalism . . . I believe it is due to demographics here: it appears that New Zealand cannot afford the expectations set in the past for healthcare and superannuation and worker's rights. Smart capable young NZers emmigrate (mostly to Australia but diaspora to everywhere). It is natural to want to blame the political system, but I believe that demographics cause the same economic pressures, regardless of politics. There needs to be enough workers to tax to pay for the people not working (retirees, sick, unemployed). It is better to think of in terms of hours worked rather than money (same hours are required regardless of political system). I visited Cuba and investigated for myself the gap between truth and propoganda. NZ is doing vastly better with capitalism (capitalism causes serious problems, but authoritarian lefty countries have far worse unescapable problems for individuals). Note that the NZ "right" government is still very "left" compared with say the US. Also note that apparently the current US policy is "PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WITH NO CUTS, INCLUDING NO CHANGES TO THE RETIREMENT AGE" - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44210019 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44210019 Disclosure: I'm a white welloff software WEIRDo dude, but I give careful attention to the problems of others (working-class peers, poorly retirees). I predict future struggles for myself even though I'm well off - and the median person will have it much harder than I. * aside:: tried to do 66 99 „quotes” but can't get the closing to to look like 99s on iPhone
- cardanome 1y ago
  Demography would make sense as an explanation if productivity stayed the same. As productivity is rising and you need less and less working hours to create the same value, this makes no sense. https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/ https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/ As I said, the main driver is the ideology is neoliberalism. Main cause is the fall of the Soviet Union which removed the only serious competitor to the capitalist model and with this following the general disorganization of the left globally, weakening of unions and so on. Basically capital has no one to be scared off anymore so they can suck you dry without opposition.