Towards an understanding of cultures - Germany
Parliamentary democracy with an elected president. The head of government is the Federal Chancellor. The federal state comprises 16 Länder. The Parliament consists of the Bundesrat and the Bundestag.
Social Market Economy
Germany is one of the great economic powers on the international scale. It occupies second place in world trade and is part of the group of eight great industrialised countries.
It owes its economic growth to its human resources and the know-how of its companies. The " Fundamental Law " guarantees freedom of private initiative and the social obligations of the State to which
is added the role of regulation of the market economy. The State does not intervene directly on the establishment of prices and salaries but aims to guarantee free competition by the Law of Competition Restriction of 1957.
The role of social partners Salaried employees (through the auspices of their unions) and the employers freely negotiate their collective agreements: salary, hours of work, leave, working conditions. The stability of the economy of Germany is due to this particular form of union organisation which represents all the employees of one sector of the economy. Standard of Living Prosperity in Germany has increased considerably since the end of the Second World War: more than half of the employees own their own homes and expenditure on leisure, cars and education increases constantly. Prices The law on price stability and the support of the Bundesbank allows the government to control inflation, to support the economy and to guarantee the stability of their currency.
Workers' Rights The law of 1952 determines the type of work organisation in companies, controls the right of shared management (defending the workers, rights of the unions) and allows participation in decision making. Among the rights which each worker enjoys is the right to information, to consultation, to access one's personnel file. The elected workers' council is charged with defending these rights in any company with at least five employees. Shared Management
Employees and unions assume part of the responsibility for the management of the company: the fundamental idea is that democratic decision-making must be exercised at all levels. Thus the elected
employee representatives sitting on the work's council participate in all the important decisions in the areas of personnel management, investment and work organisation.
For this reason social conflicts are rare and strikes pratically non-existent although wage policies are followed closely by the government. Industry in Germany is composed essentially of small and medium-sized enterprises although large companies are assuming a growing importance, like the Siemens group which employs 413,000 people, chemical groups, Hoechst et Bayer and Daimler-Benz AG. If it is true that sectors like textiles or steel are in crisis, other sectors such as information technology and communications, aeronautical and space industries, are in full expansion.
Germany provides the world markets with high quality products. In the advanced technology area the German economy performs strongly in sectors such as pharmaceutical and chemical products, experimental artificial materials, medical technologies, etc. It is necessary to mention a special area of development at the dawn of the 21st century - the technology for environmental protection which, with a rate of 20.5%, represents the highest market share in the world in this sector.
This is an ancient sector, rich in traditions, which today offers a flexibility in the production and conversion of finished and semi-finished products and supplies, as well as a great diversity in the areas of agri-food products and services. Crafts companies are also training centres with 40% of apprentices learning a trade in these companies. Germany is not only a highly industrialised country but is also a country in which agriculture is very prominent. Furthermore this agricultural importance supports a population in the rural areas and preserves the natural environment. One agricultural worker now feeds 71 people as opposed to 10 in 1950.
All Germans are not dressed in leather shorts and do not wear felt hats with feathers, beer tankard in hand, singing popular songs at full volume!
Regional diversity is well marked and Germany is one of the most welcoming countries in the world. At the risk of resorting to cliches it can be said that the Germans are respectful of law and order, from which
stems a certain conformity in social relations in which titles take on an importance in an otherwise society of equality.
Self-discipline, sense of civic duty, involvement in city life, respect for nature - the " Greens " in Germany represent an undeniable political strength - professional conscience, these are the characteristics which
are recognised and accepted. In Germany the highway code is respected even when its pedestrians cross the road. In the same way,
the time of a meeting is scrupulously respected. Cleanliness in public places is proverbial as are the well established habits today of sorting domestic waste. The major part of expenditure linked to children and young people is taken in charge by the Länder and the communes. The State also comes to the aid of sporting organisations by encouraging competitive sport at the highest level. LEISURE AND HOLIDAYS
Religious Festivals: Epiphany, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension, Whit Monday, Corpus Christi, All Saints, 25 and 26 December
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