DGB action day against social cuts: Over 100,000 people on the streets

afp/dpa | Tens of thousands of people protested against cuts in social benefits in 15 major German cities on Saturday. The German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB) and its member unions called for the nationwide day of action. They then spoke to around 175,000 participants. According to the DGB, the demonstrations and rallies should send “a clear signal for a strong welfare state, secure jobs, good working conditions and the protection of workers’ rights.”

Events took place in Bremen (7,000), Hamburg, Leipzig, Essen, Magdeburg, Nuremberg and Stuttgart, Berlin (12,000) and Hanover (12,000), among others. The motto of the campaign was: "Hard earned! Your work. Your health. Your pension."

DGB leader Yasmin Fahimi gave a speech at the rally in Essen. According to the DGB, she criticized, among other things, demands for longer working hours and a relaxation of the eight-hour day. “We will not simply allow ourselves to be robbed of the social standards we have built up over many years,” she said. “It’s all hard-earned.”

According to the information, the DGB chairwoman also defended the pension without deductions after 45 years of insurance. People who have paid contributions for such a long time should be able to retire without deductions.

The chairman of the Verdi service union, Frank Werneke, spoke at the rally in Frankfurt am Main. According to Verdi, in his speech he criticized a “threat on workers’ rights and the welfare state” and called for an “end to the class struggle from above”. The attacks ranged from the abolition of the eight-hour day to sick leave requiring a certificate from day one to the massive expansion of unfounded time limits.

The Left took part in the campaign and, according to the party, wanted to support it “with its own blocks, feeder demonstrations and speeches”. “We oppose any cuts in health, wages and pensions, against the exploding prices,” said Left Party leader Ines Schwerdtner in advance. “We want to stop the Merz agenda.”

The chairman of the industrial union IGBCE, Michael Vassiliadis, called for a restart of the reform policy: Of course the country needs reforms. It's about enabling growth, stimulating investment and securing jobs. For months now, politicians have consistently been sidetracking when it comes to crisis management. “In industry alone we are currently losing 15,000 jobs per month,” said Vassiliadis. What is being lost are good, collectively agreed jobs and added value that finance the community.