CDU State Party Convention in Düsseldorf: Union Backs the Black-Red Coalition's Reform Package

At the start of the convention, Wüst presented jerseys to Merz, parliamentary group leader Carsten Linnemann, and Secretary-General Johannes Winkel: a yellow jersey to the Chancellor, a sprinter's jersey to Linnemann, and a youth jersey to Winkel. In his speech, Wüst declared: „Das ganze Paket kann sich wirklich sehen lassen." He gave special thanks to the Chancellor and said that Merz could count on his state association.

Merz Draws Parallels to the Postwar Era

Merz himself, who had confirmed his attendance at the convention at short notice, drew parallels in his speech between the postwar era and the present and vigorously campaigned for the chosen reform course. „Wir treten Stück für Stück den Beweis an, dass wir eine wirkliche Reformkoalition sind für Deutschland", he said. Looking ahead to the upcoming state election in North Rhine-Westphalia, he added: „Was in Nordrhein-Westfalen gelingt, kann in Deutschland gelingen." He also assured the state party of support in the election campaign.

In his speech, Merz also addressed the planned flexibilization of the labor market and described the expansion of fixed-term contracts without substantive grounds as good news for start-ups. The word „Krankschreibung" did not come up in his speech – even though the coalition had decided on stricter rules for sick notes and a YouGov survey shows that 59 percent of respondents reject the requirement of a sick note from the first day of illness, while 31 percent support it. A telephone sick note for minor illnesses is also rejected by 58 percent, while 33 percent support it.

In a sharply pointed passage, Merz addressed critics of the reform course: „Kulturpessimisten, Untergangspropheten, Nöler, Nörgler, empörte Berufskritiker: Wegtreten!" The Chancellor described his government as a reform coalition for Germany and said: „Freiheit, Frieden, Wohlstand kommen nicht von selbst." Looking to the future, he also declared: „Die besten Jahre Deutschlands liegen nicht hinter uns. Es liegen, wenn wir es richtig machen, sehr gute Jahre vor uns."

Ideas for Tomorrow: Wishes on the Screen

In the foyer of the Maritim Hotel, a white screen had been set up on which participants could leave notes with wishes and suggestions under the motto „Ideen für Morgen". Bundestag parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn wrote there: „Wir bringen jedes Kind zum Schulabschluss mit bester Förderung." Other notes included demands such as „Infrastruktur investieren", „stabile Autobahnbrücken", „Catcalling unter Strafe stellen", „Bleib gesund – sonst wird es teuer" and „Minijobs erhalten".

Critical Voices on the Health Reform

The convention, originally planned as a working convention to set out the party's substantive positioning for the NRW state election, coincided with the start of the Tour de France and the home concert of Die Toten Hosen at the Düsseldorf Arena, which was expected to draw thousands of fans. With the convention held at Düsseldorf Airport, the organizers had set their sights on the upcoming state election campaign; the satisfaction ratings of the CDU-led state government had, however, declined recently.

Outside the state convention, other voices weighed in on the reforms: Oliver Blatt, board chairman of the GKV-Spitzenverband (the central association of statutory health insurance funds), warned the coalition against a watering down of the savings plans in the healthcare system. „Das wäre genau der falsche Weg, denn dann wird es am Ende doch wieder für alle teurer", he said – with regard to the fact that planned savings in the pharmaceutical industry and among physicians could be partially reversed. SPD Vice-Chair Anke Rehlinger, Minister-President of the Saarland, expressed doubts about the tightening of sick note rules. „Ob das jetzt allerdings das richtige Instrument dafür ist, das würde ich noch ein bisschen bezweifeln wollen". She also announced further reform steps: „Ein paar andere werden dem ja noch folgen."

The trade union and academic sides also expressed criticism: DGB board member Anja Piel warned in the Funke newspapers that the requirement of a sick note from the first day encourages working while ill, and DIW economist Daniel Graeber does not expect stricter rules to noticeably reduce the sickness rate. He warned that a mandatory sick note from the first day could lead to more doctor visits and infection risks in waiting rooms: „Sollte dies dazu führen, dass Menschen trotz leichter Infekte an den Arbeitsplatz gehen, könnten Ansteckungen am Arbeitsplatz am Ende zu mehr Fehltagen führen, als wenn diese Beschäftigten einfach zu Hause geblieben wären".