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09-Apr-08 10:15 [Europe, Middle East and Africa]
German cabinet backs pension increases The German cabinet has backed plans to raise state pensions by 1.1 per cent this year and by two per cent in 2009.
Employers have reacted angrily to the proposals, saying the rise will result in jobs being cut.
Dieter Hundt, president of Germany's employers' federation (BDA), said: "The consequence of this will be higher staffing costs for employers and less money in the pockets of workers, That's going to hit employment."
The increase is planned for 1st July and according to the Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs, it will mean older generation can feel the benefits of the economic boom in the country.
A decision on the proposed rise in 2009 will not be made until next spring, although the proposals have been slated by economists because they go against the restrictions on pension increases put in place by the previous chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
In other news, a gay man in Germany recently won the right to his dead partner's pension following a European court of justice ruling.
The speech made by the Queen yesterday regarding the reactions the nation should take to the recession has hit "nearly all" of the right notes, according to an employment organisation.
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There will not be increased flexibility offered for employers or employees through fit to work notes, according to an association representing over 6.5 million workers.
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British organisations are suffering by not adopting modern technology in the workplace, it has been said.
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