Reducing bureaucracy: Crafts make mobility possible

The South Westphalia Chamber of Crafts and the Hochsauerland District Crafts Association hosted a discussion event on the topic of reducing bureaucracy.

This article is part of the special topic Bureaucratic madness in the craft industry

Not only since the General Data Protection Regulation came into force, many craft businesses have been complaining about the ever-increasing bureaucratic burdens brought about by new laws at the state, federal, and European levels. These often small craft businesses have little time to constantly familiarize themselves with new, complicated regulations. They want one thing above all: a sustainable reduction in bureaucracy. To express this wish, the Chamber of Crafts South Westphalia and the pioneering Hochsauerland District Chamber of Crafts the local constituency representatives Klaus Kaiser (Member of the State Parliament, CDU), Dirk Wiese (Member of the Federal Parliament, SPD), Patrick Sensburg (Member of the Federal Parliament, CDU) and Peter Liese (Member of the European Parliament, CDU/EPP) to a discussion event entitled "Handwerk macht mobil" (Crafts make people mobile).

Holger Schwannecke traveled from Berlin especially for the event. The Secretary General of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts emphasized in his keynote speech that reducing bureaucracy is a long-standing issue and a marathon task. The workload associated with the bureaucratic burden not only makes the daily work of skilled craftsmen more difficult, but also threatens the competitiveness of businesses because they can no longer meet all the requirements. "Then it slowly develops from a purely bureaucratic issue to a competitive and structural issue, because only the larger companies survive." This must not happen, he said.

Craftsmen should get involved in politics

At the discussion event Photo: © Markus Kluft/HWK Südwestfalen

Master carpenter Heinz Pütz (General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)), building contractor Ulrich Schmidt (principles for the proper management and storage of books, records and documents in electronic form as well as for data access (GoBD) and prepayment of social security contributions), master electrician Frank Lefarth (documentation obligations for minimum wages and preliminary remarks for public contracts), master baker Gerhard Frankenstein (Food Information Regulation), SHK entrepreneur Andreas Cloer (statistical information obligation) and master carpenter Carl Rüther (master craftsman certificate and apprentice ticket) described to the politicians their problems in their everyday working lives.

"I believe it's necessary for more skilled tradespeople to get involved in politics," Kaiser said. He added that they know how laws affect practice. "The best experts for reducing bureaucracy are those affected by bureaucracy." He called on skilled tradespeople to draw politicians' attention to the specific problems involved in implementing laws. Then, he added, further deregulation packages would be possible. The introduction of the apprentice ticket is enshrined in the coalition agreement, and the state government is now in the process of implementing it.

Creating a dialogue between crafts and politics

Wiese suggested forming working groups to foster a constant dialogue between skilled trades and politicians, through which skilled tradespeople can voice their concerns and needs. He also emphasized that legislators need examples to get things moving. Regarding the GDPR, the legislative process is underway in Berlin to initiate what needs to be regulated nationally. This could at least eliminate certain excesses, particularly with regard to the right to issue warnings. The SPD is keeping an eye on the GoBD (German Rules of Procedure for the Use of Professional Services) and social security contributions, but patience is required here. The politician was very clear on the subject of the master craftsman requirement: "What was done in the Bundestag in 2004 under the red-green coalition—the weakening of the master craftsman certificate and its abolition in some trades—was clearly wrong." It is important, he said, to improve regulations for skilled trades, especially in vocational training. Wiese intends to advocate for a more practical solution regarding documentation requirements for the minimum wage.

Sensburg also envisioned making the documentation requirements for the minimum wage more practical, without questioning the wage floor itself. He, too, was "extremely interested" in learning what consequences laws would have for businesses. He was willing to collect and consolidate very specific points in order to then bring about changes. "If we now pool our energy on a broad basis, I am very certain that we will achieve success on some of the points mentioned here much more quickly."

Continue to defend the master craftsman certificate at European level

How can politics protect the skilled trades from excessive and unnecessary demands is an important topic for Liese. He admitted: "The way things are going with the General Data Protection Regulation at the moment is crap." Lawyers who issue cease-and-desist letters must be put in their place. The master craftsman certificate must be further defended at the European level. There are still nonsensical discussions in Brussels about the master craftsman requirement in some trades, but there is a gradual change in mood in the European Union. He advised the skilled trades to get involved in the political process at the right time to avert negative consequences for businesses. In closing, Willy Hesse, President of the South Westphalia Chamber of Skilled Crafts, announced the prospect of a continuation of the very well-attended event.