For months, the traffic light coalition has been wrangling over the so-called family start-up period. One sticking point: financing. According to a survey, a narrow majority would be in favor of having companies pay for the leave.
According to a survey, a narrow majority of Germans are in favor of additional family time off paid for by the employer after the birth of a child. In the representative survey conducted by the YouGov Institute on behalf of the German Press Agency, 51 percent of respondents said they would “completely” or “rather” support employers covering the costs of two weeks’ leave for mostly male employees to care for a newborn child. 33 percent rejected this, and 16 percent answered “I don’t know.”
Among the 2,126 participants, it was primarily younger people between the ages of 18 and 39 who said they were in favor of such a solution. At 68 percent, approval was highest in the 30- to 39-year-old group. The idea is also most popular among Left Party voters, with 71 percent of approval, followed by Green Party voters (68). AfD and FDP voters, on the other hand, have the greatest reservations. Here, 47 percent of each said they either somewhat or completely rejected the financing model.
FDP rejects funding by employers
The traffic light coalition has been wrangling for months over the introduction of paid leave for partners after the birth of a child. The project is also anchored in the coalition agreement. It states: “We will introduce two weeks of paid leave for partners after the birth of a child.” However, nothing has been decided so far – because the FDP-led Finance Ministry has rejected the proposal that would oblige employers to finance it.
The model supported by the SPD and the Greens provides that companies contribute to the time off through a higher contribution to the existing maternity allowance system. A company with 100 employees would only pay 208 euros more per month, according to calculations by SPD parliamentary group vice-chair Sönke Rix a few weeks ago, and called on the FDP to lift its blockade. Associations have also been pushing for months for the promised “family start time”, as the planned leave is also called, to finally be introduced. It would mean additional relief and more time together for many families, as fathers could take time off more easily after the birth of a child – without having to apply for extra vacation or parental leave.
When asked on Friday, both the Ministry of Family Affairs and the Ministry of Finance simply stated that the project was still being discussed within the government. This discussion was initiated about a year and a half ago.
Source: Stern
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