The rich man who gave up his money: I want to be free

Most of the rich don't give up their money with the excuse that they often donate substantial sums to charity anyway
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Goc Werner, Photo: Taz.de
Goc Werner, Photo: Taz.de
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.
Ažurirano: 02.01.2014. 19:22h

The German retail chain DM is in many ways different from today's liberal capitalist companies: cashiers' salaries range from 850 to over 9000 euros, they receive 14 salaries and four times a year they receive gift packages with Drogerie Markt (DM) products.

And just when it seemed that the company had reached the ceiling in the implementation of "capitalism with a human face", the world was stunned by new news: Gotz Werner, the owner of DM, renounced his wealth and donated his entire ownership share to a charitable foundation!

This confirmed what many who know him said - Goc Werner is a very unusual man, so it is not surprising that his company is like that. He himself confirmed it with the words: "It is not a shame to become rich, but it is a shame to die rich".

It is estimated that the value of his assets is more than one billion euros, which would be inherited by his seven children in the event of his death. However, nothing will come of it. Nevertheless, he provided the children with a quality education and gave them the basis to become rich themselves.

"Children have the right to a good start in life, but not to have their parents provide them with lifelong well-being," were the words Werner used to explain his unusual decision.

Most of the rich people in the world do not give up their money, which was recently shown by the poor response to the invitation of American billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Ten days ago, they made a public call to the rich around the world to give up half of their wealth to charity.

However, most of them declined the invitation, arguing that they often donate large sums of money to charity anyway. According to some experts, the reason is a little more realistic: the global crisis that scared even the richest.

By insisting on more than decent wages and labor rights for all his employees, and now by renouncing his wealth, Werner also proved that companies with satisfied employees are more successful. Namely, DM is one of the few companies whose revenues did not decrease during the crisis, but even increased.

Werner: 1.000 euros of basic salary for every man

Goc Werner (66) is also a professor of entrepreneurship at the Institute of Technology in Karlsruhe, and he is the co-author of the book "1.000 euros for everyone", in which he advocates that every citizen receives a basic income of 1.000 euros because it contributes to the liberation of man. He criticized the new social assistance system in Germany, which combines assistance for the long-term unemployed and assistance for the poor, calling it a "sleeping prison at home."

According to Werner, this is a violation of human rights.

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