GERMANY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Invoking the Importance of Partnership and Growth

At a dinner honoring German Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Ursula von der Leyen, acting Secretary of Labor Harris emphasized the importance of multinational partnership and economic development. In remarks at the German Ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13, Harris praised German skills training initiatives and highlighted the department's Community College and Career Training grants, which seek to improve career training programs at U.S. post-secondary schools. Harris also emphasized the importance of collective bargaining in ensuring that workers receive their fair share of growth. "We must continue to invest wisely and effectively in skills development," he said. "But workers must also have more leverage so that our investment in their skills and employability assures them a bigger paycheck, a pension and a better life." Before the dinner Harris and von der Leyen held a bilateral discussion on the upcoming G20 labor and employment ministerial meeting and other issues.