The chairman of the service union Verdi, Frank Werneke, has spoken out against a subsidized electricity price exclusively for the industry. „I can only advise against a purely industrial electricity price to the political actors,“ Werneke told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). Many households and social institutions should also be included in a state-subsidized electricity price.
„I cannot reword“
Companies are concerned about their competitiveness.
According to the union representative, „the electricity prices need to be further reduced, but this should not only apply to the industry. That would not be socially responsible.“ A much broader approach is necessary. „There is also a great need for action in social institutions or the healthcare sector, for example, as well as in many private households,“ said Werneke.
In the coalition, there has been a discussion for months about relieving companies due to the high electricity prices compared to international standards. Companies in Germany are concerned about their competitiveness. Associations warn of an increasing relocation of production abroad. Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Green Party), the Green Party faction, and the SPD faction want a subsidized industrial electricity price for a transitional period – the FDP is against it, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) rejects a „permanent subsidy of electricity prices across the board.“