Hesse’s Minister of Economics visits us in Weilburg-Gaudernbach
Hesse’s Minister of Economics visits us in Weilburg-Gaudernbach
On 4th October the Hessian Minister of Economics and Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Al-Wazir paid a visit to our family business in Weilburg-Gaudernbach. Mr. Al-Wazir, who left his company car, entered our premises, welcomed us with a friendly handshake and thanked us for taking time for him. Of course, we were also grateful for the opportunity to be able to talk to a top politician in a small group about important issues that affect us as a medium-sized construction company.
First, Managing Director Ottmar Schütz leads the Minister of Economic Affairs to the warehouse area and talks about the origins and development of our family business. Arriving at the camp, they meet some of our trainees, including six young refugees from Somalia and Eritrea, who are currently paving the roads and are visibly looking forward to their visitor. Schütz praises them and their dedicated work. They had always been motivated to learn new things, despite the initially high language barrier, and have continued to do so. Al-Wazir, whose father comes from Yemen, thinks back to the time when he himself learned a new language. At the age of 14, he visited Yemen and could not speak a word of Arabic, which he urgently wanted to change. “Learning another language is very difficult. It takes time,” says Al-Wazir. “Stay tuned. You have found a company that is making an effort. This is also an opportunity for the company. You are also an opportunity for Germany,” he encourages them and wishes them every success for their future.
Coffee and cake are already available in the visitors’ room. Now it’s about topics of daily business and also about political developments that are worrying our medium-sized family business. Ottmar Schütz sees major problems, especially in terms of construction planning and working conditions. According to current developments, the infrastructure company for motorways has no plans to have a branch office in Hesse, which will probably have a negative effect on construction planning and administration in Hesse and might lead to a brain drain from the region. In addition, ever larger construction lines and ever smaller time windows for their completion will soon become an unacceptable burden for small and medium-sized companies, Schütz said. It is the task of politicians to guarantee the possibility of fair competition here as well. Mr. Al-Wazir agrees on many points and takes notes with the promise to take the presented concerns seriously.
We are glad to have received Mr. Al-Wazir and hope that the State of Hesse will continue to support medium-sized businesses so that we can continue to offer our employees and trainees secure jobs and fair working conditions.
Sincerly your Wilhelm Schütz-Team
Source: Weilburger Tageblatt