FOUR questions for ... Jörg Püttbach

Jörg Püttbach, Chairman of the Board of the German Surface Technology Association (ZVO) and owner and CEO of the BIA Group; Interview: Robert Piterek.

The elections are over. What is your preliminary conclusion from the association's point of view?

The positive thing about the election is that it was enough for a two-party coalition, a black-red coalition. This means that a reasonably swift agreement, which we need, is also possible. The viability of the coalition should also be greater than that of three parties. Based on this expectation, the result for the economy and small and medium-sized enterprises is quite alright. I expect a slightly more business-friendly stance.

"I expect a slightly more business-friendly stance"

And with regard to electroplating and surface technology?

We as the ZVO are already very active in bringing our issues to the attention of the parties' negotiating groups. There are issues that particularly affect us, such as energy and bureaucratization. Things are looking good for energy because we are walking through open doors and a consensus between the CDU and SPD is possible. In principle, there is a broad consensus with many associations on the issues of energy and reducing bureaucracy, so I have every hope that things will move in the right direction. As far as issues such as labor costs, consequential labor costs and sick leave are concerned, that remains to be seen. The same applies to the regulatory issues that we are introducing.

You just mentioned the sickness issue. In addition to your association office, you are Managing Director of the BIA and pay an extra bonus for employees who come to work. What experiences have you had with this?

Looking at our sites in Slovakia, Mexico and China allows us to compare sickness rates. Nowhere is the type of sick pay as pronounced as in Germany and nowhere is it as much at the expense of the employer. In many other countries, the state pays sick pay much earlier and then not 100% from the first day, as is the case here, but to a lesser extent. The sickness rates in other countries are therefore significantly lower. Let's see whether the new government makes any changes to sick pay or maternity leave. As an employer, we can only march in the other direction - which is actually a paradox - and reward our employees with extra money when they come to work. We pay a certain hourly rate in addition, but this is only available if you come to work. It is forfeited completely for the month if you are absent for more than two days in that month due to illness. The result is convincing. We now have almost three percent fewer absences due to illness, seven percent instead of ten percent. This means that the measure pays for itself. On the one hand, we have the costs of the additional premium, on the other hand we have better planning capability with more skilled workers. That helps on all fronts. We have been doing this in a trial period over twelve months since last August. In July, we will decide whether to extend the measure or make some changes. It's an act of desperation, of course. Sickness rates have shot up everywhere, including in the authorities. Just abolishing the telephone sick note is not enough. Someone who is at work must always have something more than someone who is not there.

Do you have any other expectations of the government with regard to the labor market?

We need a more targeted recruitment program for skilled workers because we need support from abroad. However, with the expected restrictions on migration and asylum, targeted recruitment could fall by the wayside. At the same time, we need incentives to encourage people to take up work. After all, despite the pressure to restructure, the development of the labor market depends on how many available workers there are.