Short-time work – Minijobbers must not be left empty-handed

Arnulf Piepenbrock demands short-time work benefits for mini-jobbers. (Image: Piepenbrock Unternehmensgruppe GmbH + Co. KG)

The Covid-19 pandemic brings deep economic cuts. Hundreds of thousands of companies have registered short-time work. Marginally employed workers, however, go empty-handed in these cases: they do not receive short-time allowance. This affects precisely those employees who are most dependent on their regular income. This regulation cannot remain as it is, says Arnulf Piepenbrock, managing partner of the building service provider of the same name. He calls on politicians to improve the situation immediately. For March, Piepenbrock is transferring a voluntary special payment to his affected employees.

"We must not allow our mini-jobbers to be left empty-handed during short-time work. That is why we are helping the affected employees with a special payment," clearly states Arnulf Piepenbrock. His company was also forced, in the current situation, to implement short-time work in areas where services to customers can only be provided to a limited extent or not at all anymore. Many thousands of mini-jobbers employed by the company are also affected by this measure. While employees subject to social security contributions are entitled to short-time allowance, this is not the case for nearly eight million marginally employed workers in Germany. This is highly unfair, especially since almost five million mini-jobbers – from cleaning staff, waiters to kitchen helpers – earn only income from marginal employment. "For marginally employed workers, wages are particularly important and often indispensable. If this money is missing, a vital part of their livelihood is also missing," emphasizes Arnulf Piepenbrock.

Special payment for affected mini-jobbers

Piepenbrock therefore voluntarily pays a special payment of 60 percent of the lost wages for the month of March to the mini-jobbers affected by short-time work within the company. "Our mini-jobbers are just as important to us as all other employees. Because they do not receive short-time allowance, we step in. We want to help our mini-jobbers with this special payment and emphasize the strong cohesion within our company," says Arnulf Piepenbrock. He emphasizes that voluntary payments by the company can only be a temporary measure. "Due to the current crisis situation, we as a company are under high economic stress. A voluntary additional burden is not financially sustainable for us over a longer period. Here, politics has a duty to find a fair regulation for the benefit of mini-jobbers," the entrepreneur makes clear. Especially considering that the highest social contributions are paid for this form of employment by the company, it is incomprehensible why mini-jobbers are not receiving short-time allowance now.

Urgent need for a short-term political solution

Short-time work is a sensible solution to counter economic crises without having to lay off employees. However, the instrument must be adjusted in the short term: "I call on politicians: End the two-tier society regarding short-time allowance. Ensure that marginally employed workers also benefit from it."