Plans to cut jobs in the state administration of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania drew criticism from trade unions and professional associations on 11 November 2026. Business representatives also expressed disappointment with the coalition agreement presented by the SPD, Left Party and Greens in in Schwerin on 10 November. The three parties want to form a joint state government; their party conferences still have to approve the agreement.
Among the disputed proposals is a plan to cut 1,000 administrative posts over five years. According to the German Press Agency, posts are to be left vacant when their current holders retire. Minister-President Manuela Schwesig said a digitalisation initiative would ensure that services did not suffer as a result.
The German Trade Union Confederation North considers the job cuts the wrong approach. The Verdi trade union warned that the public sector was already short of skilled workers. The Association of Judges and Public Prosecutors welcomed the commitment to retain court locations, but said there was no guarantee against job cuts in the justice system. According to NDR, the agreement exempts the police and schools from the cuts; whether to extend this exemption to the justice system remained disputed.
The proposed extension of working hours for state civil servants has also met with opposition. Under the coalition agreement, they are to work 41 rather than 40 hours a week in future. The Civil Service Federation Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania criticised the proposal, saying the extra hours were intended to offset higher pay. The background is a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court on civil servants’ pay. The Education and Science Workers’ Union announced talks and opposed any possible extension of the longer working week to teachers.
Business representatives criticised another part of the programme. Employers’ president Lars Schwarz said that, despite some approaches he considered sound, the plans to ease the burden on businesses were inadequate. Among other things, he objected to the future coalition partners’ intention to retain the minimum wage for public contracts and their rules on collective bargaining. The parties also want to strengthen collective bargaining coverage and employee representation at company level.
Reactions to education and family policy were mixed. The Education and Training Association considered the agreement inadequate, while the Education and Science Union welcomed the announced further reduction in nursery group sizes. When presenting the agreement, Schwesig pointed to the state’s limited financial resources. Free childcare is to remain in place, but many of the proposals are subject to funding being available.
According to the state election in September, the SPD and Left Party lost their previous joint majority. The AfD became the largest party but found no coalition partner. The SPD and Left Party are now seeking to form a three-party coalition with the Greens. Before its programme can serve as the basis for a new government, the three parties must approve the agreement at their party conferences. Schwesig intends to seek re-election as minister-president in the state parliament afterwards.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).