Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte has reignited the debate on employee rights by proposing a “Karenztag” where sick employees would forgo pay on the first day of illness, a topic previously discussed in 2005 and now gaining traction amidst the 2025 economic crisis. Unions and the FDP opposed this idea in the past, but parts of the CDU are now open to it, as discussed by POLITICO’s Gordon Repinski and health expert Jürgen Klöckner. In other news, the Austrian government formation is now influenced by the right-wing FPÖ, led by Herbert Kickl, potentially altering the country’s migration policy, while the CSU Winterklausur in Seeon anticipates the arrival of Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, with questions on how much Bavarian support he will receive.
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Trump tariffs live: Starmer vows to protect UK from ‘storm’ of US tariffs while EU readies retaliatory measures
Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to protect British business interests in the wake of US President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on UK exports, including a 10% tariff on all goods and a 25% tariff on British carmakers. Labour minister Darren Jones warned against a trade war, while the EU is considering retaliatory tariffs on $28 billion worth of US imports. Jaguar Land Rover has halted shipments to the US to assess the impact of the...
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