Friedrich Merz is the Chancellor of Germany. He belongs to the CDU party. Merz gave a speech in Berlin. He spoke to the German Trade Union Confederation. The short name is DGB.
The mood in the room was bad. The people whistled loudly. They booed him too. This lasted for 15 minutes. Merz spoke about the economy in Germany.
Merz said: Germany needs more economic growth. Only then is there enough money for the social state. He means money for schools and streets. Growth is also important for the pension.
There was much trouble about the pension. Merz wants to change the pension system. He said: There are fewer young workers. But there are more old people. That is simple math.
The listeners did not like that. One man called out class struggle. Merz wants a stock pension too. That means: Some pension money is saved in shares.
The head of the DGB is Yasmin Fahimi. She was re-elected. She said: People have big worries. That caused the loud calls against the Chancellor.
There is also trouble in the government. The SPD party wants no cuts. The SPD wants higher taxes for rich people. The politicians meet for a talk in the evening.
