Merz's ally CSU leader Markus Söder: No pain, no gain. Those used to be German virtues. If we worked one hour more per week, we could achieve a lot, like Switzerland. That’s twelve minutes per working day. Twelve minutes. And suddenly people act as if the world is ending, as if entire biographies are being destroyed. Some trade union leaders are threatening. Seriously, my friends: if we want to preserve our prosperity, what are twelve minutes a day?