“European Micro” takes us to our German neighbours. Strikes have begun under the leadership of two unions, in particular the largest union of railway workers, which is demanding an increase of 12%, minimum, or 650 euros per month.
Focus on Germany with Kai Littmann, director of Eurojournalist.eu, from the premises of Eurojournalist.eu. The social situation is also very tense in Germany with strikes that are likely to last.
franceinfo: We wonder if Germany follows the example of France, the strikes begin?
Kai Littmann: The strikes actually begin under the leadership of two unions, which are Verdi, the public service union, and the GDL, which is the largest railway workers’ union and which has fairly high wage demands.
Verdi in Germany is the federation of several unions, is it a huge union?
An absolute power, and we saw it on March 27, when Germany was really at a standstill when Verdi called for a strike, no planes, no trains, no kindergartens. When these two unions come together to organize a strike, it hurts. And it will certainly continue, even if for the Easter holidays, the unions have called not to strike so as not to penalize users. However, the third round of negotiations ended in failure. And indeed, immediately after Easter, we must count on other strikes.
It must be said that the claims are very heavy?
They are frankly quite salty, the railwaymen ask for an increase of 12%, minimum, 650 € per month, Verdi is a little less greedy, and asks for 10.5% minimum, 500 € more per month. And indeed, employers are struggling to follow. I am thinking of the example of Deutsche Bahn, which is a company that has been supported with billions of euros during the crises of the past three years. And indeed, they find it more difficult to make this gesture.
Deutsche Bahn is the German railways. What about this famous German “sozialpartnerschaft”, since before, it was always the employers and the trade unions which met regularly to avoid social conflicts?
Indeed, there are many more discussions between the social partners in Germany than in France. So yes, there is another type of communication between unions and employers. But that doesn’t solve everything.
And there, the shoe pinches for the coalition, for the government of Mr. Scholz?
They are trying to save this coalition, but with three parties that have radically opposed fundamentals, one wonders if this coalition can go all the way. Everyone at the political level is currently on the sidelines of this social conflict between unions and employers. But at some point, politics must also take a stand.
You remind us of the coalition…
It’s the SPD, so the Social Democrats and the FDP, the Liberals, who are already very different from the SPD, and the Greens, who still have other ideas, and the three parties really have a lot of problems finding agreements.
Do German employees still look to France?
Yes, absolutely, the social movement in France has really triggered discussions on the meaning of life, on the meaning of work. Do you really have to work longer and longer? What about productivity which, along with life expectancy, has exploded? This means that, in principle, people are entitled to ask for earlier retirement. But it’s the same situation in Belgium, in Germany, in other countries. This movement in France has triggered much, much thought.
And for German employees too, a relatively serious reality is that many German companies are relocating to the United States?
Yes, it’s the new fashion to relocate to the USA. Today, China is no longer the reliable partner that everyone had hoped for. Indeed, we are turning more and more towards the United States, which again could be a mistake, because we should perhaps also leave this order of thought, that the Americans are our friends, the Americans drive for the United States, as Europe rolls for Europe. She has no friends across the Atlantic, we have partners and with these partners, we may also have to work differently, than to submit, without any necessity, to American realities.
Which has absolutely nothing to do with the survival of the coalition?
No nothing at all. There, we are really talking about a salary and union issue. Politics is currently on the sidelines of this debate, even if at some point, we will certainly appoint a mediator who would come from a political movement. And suddenly, there will also be a political color in this debate. But for now, that is not the case.