German businesses unite against right-wing extremism and labor shortage

Recent polls place the right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in second place with roughly 20 percent support, trailing just behind the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU), as reported by the news service wiadomosci.wp.pl. AfD has openly advocated for banning migration. This came into sharper focus with "reports from the investigative journalists' collective Correctiv about a secret meeting of right-wing radicals in Potsdam. It involved several AfD politicians discussing 'reemigration', that is, mass deportations from Germany of individuals with migrant backgrounds."

These reports have ignited a series of protests across Germany. According to Deutsche Welle, employers and unions came together in these protests. Specifically, in Baden-Württemberg, a region in the southwest of the country, the employers' association Suedwestmetall and the IG Metall union endorsed the "Business for Democracy" declaration, with representatives from Mercedes-Benz and Porsche among the signatories.

At the unveiling of the declaration, German President Frank Walter Steinmeier was among those in attendance.

This stands as a tangible opposition to right-wing extremism and constitutional enemies, who show no respect for human dignity," stated the president.

In February 2024, the Vice Chancellor of Germany acknowledged the country's labor shortage. To address this, the government has introduced incentives encouraging seniors to work longer, devised special programs to attract skilled workers from outside the European Union, and sought to integrate refugees into the job market.

Economist Ulrike Malmendier emphasized the need to boost immigration. "Truthfully, immigration of any workforce willing to work in Germany is necessary," she mentioned, as reported by dw.com.

Business leaders, who are vocal critics of the right-wing agenda, echoed this sentiment. "Baden-Württemberg could not produce cars, construct machinery, or have buses running on its roads without the contribution of people from various nations in our companies and administration," Barbara Resch, head of the IG Metall union in Baden-Württemberg, told dw.com.