German Farmers' Association President Joachim Rukwied has sharply criticized proposals to abolish a specific form of part-time job in its current form, saying at the start of the grain harvest to the south of Berlin on Thursday that such a move would be unacceptable for the agricultural sector.
"We assess the proposal on mini-jobs absolutely negatively," Rukwied said. "Especially in agriculture, alongside the hospitality sector, we depend on mini-job workers."
A mini-job is a type of part-time employment specific to Germany, which allows individuals to earn up to €603 ($690.50) gross per month, or €7,236 per year, without paying income tax or standard social security contributions
They help with the harvest and sowing, he said. "For us they cannot be replaced, and in that respect this means a further burden on agriculture, which is already fighting for survival."
Proposed changes to mini-jobs remain under discussion and have not yet been decided by the ruling coalition.
The abolition of mini-jobs is among the proposals for a pension reform put forward by a government commission appointed by the coalition of conservatives and centre-left Social Democrats.
The commission recommended bringing mini-jobs into the pension insurance system and abolishing their special status under tax and social security law. Exceptions would only be permitted for school pupils under the proposals.
