Word: kohl
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...issues the confrontation presented, however, were absolutely basic. Would German workers accept the government's call to continue making sacrifices in order to help westernize eastern Germany? The answer so far is no. The public workers' union demanded a 9.5% wage increase while the government of Chancellor Helmut Kohl argued that anything over 4.8%, or just enough to cover the inflation rate, would damage the economy. Last week the government was forced to offer 5.4%. The union leadership accepted, and chairwoman Monika Wulf-Mathies called it "a political victory." Minister of Special Tasks Rudolf Seiters, the government's chief negotiator...
...news conference in Berlin, Kohl felt impelled to deny that the governing coalition, shaken by the economy's troubles and Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher's resignation, was in any danger. The opposition Social Democrats accused the government of "stupidity and provocation." They now top Kohl's Christian Democrats in the polls and are calling for the Chancellor's resignation. "The coalition is stable," Kohl insisted last week. (See related story on page...
...would leave office on May 17, the 18th anniversary of his ascent to the job -- but he offered no compelling explanation. There was no mention of health problems, although he has a history of coronary trouble and tuberculosis. He did not hint at a falling-out with Chancellor Helmut Kohl, although over the years they have had many disagreements. And he disavowed interest in another high-profile post, although rumors are rife that he longs to cap his political career with the German presidency. Some analysts reasoned that Genscher, Germany's most popular and peripatetic politician, knew he had shepherded...
...junior members of the three-party coalition, announced that Housing Minister Irmgard Schwaetzer would take over as Foreign Minister. Instead of rubber-stamping the appointment, a caucus of Free Democrats in the parliament rejected Schwaetzer and designated Justice Minister Klaus Kinkel. Members of the Christian Social Union, Kohl's other coalition partner, were so miffed at not being consulted about Genscher's replacement that they demanded a full Cabinet shuffle to restore confidence in the government...
Already overwhelmed by immigration problems and the runaway costs of unification, Kohl appeared to be losing control. The impression was reinforced by one of the worst waves of labor unrest in the postwar era. The strikes began early last week in the public sector, with transit, garbage, mail and hospital workers walking off their job in many cities around western Germany. Engineering and metal-industry workers followed, staging work stoppages and threatening a full-scale strike if their demands were not met. The issue is pay raises, and workers and employers remain far apart. The unrest, it would seem...