While the Merz government is making cuts to all corners of the welfare state, compulsory military service is slowly becoming a reality. It's up to us to fight against both. For this we have to hit the streets on Friday and Saturday! – A comment by Eduard Dunker.

Times are getting tougher and we have to tighten our belts. At least that is how the federal government's course is justified. According to the results of the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomeraniaemphasized Merzexpressly to hisreform plansto hold firmly.

With the ironically so-called health reform, the benefits of the statutory health insurance companies were reduced and expenditure was limited at the expense of the insured. And this in a healthcare system that is already permanently overburdened.

Older people should also feel the cuts. The retirement age is to be raised – once again – and the pension credit for people who care for their relatives is to be reduced. This also hits women particularly hard. Overall, the statutory pension is always in the crosshairs and more emphasis should be placed on private provision. In plain language this means a worse pension for most people and a retirement provision that is subject to the whims of the market.

As the government wants to portray it, we are not only sick too much and going into our well-deserved retirement too early, but in their opinion we are also generally too lazy. Another major attack on our rights is the planned relaxation of the eight-hour day to a maximum weekly working time of73.5 hours. This would take back an achievement for which the working class fought hard and which has lasted for over 100 years. In the auto industry in particular, bosses are now demanding thisAbolition of the 35-hour week, or in other words unpaid overtime.

Before the collective bargaining round: Mercedes wants to enforce three hours of unpaid overtime per week

The welfare state that we fought for is gradually being cut away from all of us and in return we are expected to work more for less pay. But that's not all, because the youth are also suffering under this government. So conscription is just around the corner, it already existsmandatory mustering. So while the adults are expected to work longer and harder, the younger ones can look forward to being trained to become cannon fodder for the German war machine.

Their redistribution and their wars are not in our interest

The reasons that politics gives us why we now have to turn our heads to “everyone” are varied. Either it is the Russian threat or the excessive competition from China.

That's not far off the mark. The German oneBusinesshas been in crisis for years. The increasingly harsh climate on the world market and the increasingly frequent wars are affecting the export nation. In order to maintain one's own position of power in this scramble for the position of one's own country in capitalist competition, one needs capital-friendly economic conditions - i.e. more exploitation - and the development of the "strongest conventional army in Europe“.

Cuts are made in order to keep profits up during the crisis and at the same time promote militarization. A model that has a lot of history, which has repeatedly ended in redistribution wars. Our class senses that this course is not in our interest. It is not without reason that Friedrich Merz is emblematic of this policymost unpopular chancellor ever.

School strike on Friday – protests must not stop

This discontent in society must increasingly be transformed into resistance and this is exactly what is slowly beginning to happen. Of course, the school strikes in which thousands of pupils, trainees and students across the country come together to clearly show the federal government that they will not allow themselves to be turned into German cannon fodder should be mentioned here.

On Friday the school strike goes into the next round and it is up to us not to let this protest die down. Because history shows again and again: Resistance must be persistent in order to achieve impact. Only if we manage to maintain the protest and remain a thorn in the side of those in power in the long term can we defend ourselves against their warmongering at our expense.

Mandatory mustering in the Bundeswehr? Our answer: school strike!

DGB action day against cuts – our protest with or without them

But more and more is happening in the field of protests against social cuts. The DGB is organizing one on Saturdaynationwide day of action, which is intended to address the anger over all these attacks on our class. Under the motto "Hard earned! Your work. Your health. Your pension." Rallies and demonstrations will take place in 15 major cities.

The fact that the SPD – which has always been associated with the leadership of the DGB apparatus – supports these “reforms” as a government party is preferred to be kept secret. The same applies to the connections between the SPD and trade unions. Even if the two organizations are somewhat distant at the momentaall eight chairmenthe DGB individual unions also have SPD members.

In terms of content, the union leadership also remains true to its line of social partnership. The first priority is an agreement with the capitalists and not the interests of the workers. The DGB hardly criticizes the war course and the rearmament and does not manage to go beyond lip service.

Social cuts and rearmament: which side is the DGB on?

Nevertheless - or precisely because of this - it is of great importance for us to take part in these protests and to represent real class struggle positions there. Compared to the timid protests surrounding the Left Party in the spring, the DGB, with millions of members, has far greater mobilization potential. We must not allow the DGB to tell these masses its fairy tale of social partnership without showing any real alternatives. It is up to us workers to go beyond what the DGB emanates and to consistently stand up for our interests. Especially when the unions don't do it.

September 26th offers a prelude to our fight against the politics of the capitalist class, not a climax or even an end point. The protest must continue beyond that. Let's take our anger about the conditions into the workplace, to our colleagues, to the neighborhood, to our neighbors and to the streets, so that those in power can see: Not with us!

The postNot with us! – On the streets against social cuts and compulsory military serviceappeared firstperspective.