1
00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:13,120
We are here as former workers
of EcoCarrier and VeloCarrier

2
00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:19,240
to protest against
the conditions

3
00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:24,600
that we had to endure
during our time with the company.

4
00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:28,501
Now, all the workers have been 
terminated at this point,

5
00:00:28,605 --> 00:00:30,579
between December 
and January

6
00:00:30,621 --> 00:00:33,736
with these two companies,
EcoCarrier and VeloCarrier.

7
00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:37,240
We were delivering groceries
for REWE, with cargo bikes

8
00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:41,400
around the city, especially here
in Neukölln, and in Prenzlauer Berg.

9
00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:46,280
And we are here in front 
of REWE to ask, leave it to

10
00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:51,360
double check what the conditions
of their subcontractors are,

11
00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,920
what the working conditions
of people working there are,

12
00:00:56,040 --> 00:01:00,600
because we think it's not only 
important to offer a service

13
00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,120
which is sustainable
in terms of climate,

14
00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,080
which is 
delivering by bike,

15
00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:09,240
but also to be sure,

16
00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:14,520
that the conditions 
of the workers are good

17
00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:19,160
and that is also part of
a sustainable environment.

18
00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,324
To have workers who 
are secure in their job,

19
00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:26,400
who drive a safe bike, 
which are regularly maintained,

20
00:01:26,458 --> 00:01:28,262
which was not the case,

21
00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:30,400
and many other things.

22
00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:32,120
I want to underline that

23
00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:36,241
not even one month before the 
first half of the terminations came,

24
00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:40,680
the CEO of the company came to Berlin, 
from Stuttgart, where the company is based,

25
00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:45,720
to ensure us that 
our jobs were safe,

26
00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:51,360
and they were even thinking
of adding more volume of work.

27
00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:53,760
And then not 
after a month later,

28
00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,840
we received the first 
half of the termination.

29
00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:02,412
When we had already started 
meeting and trying to see

30
00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:08,640
what we could do to 
better our working conditions.

31
00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,800
So the group kind 
of organized itself

32
00:02:11,883 --> 00:02:16,335
before the first
terminations came.

33
00:02:21,259 --> 00:02:26,000
We had to use the bikes
that were broken to deliver our stuff.

34
00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,600
I had two accidents

35
00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,360
and the people were like:
" Oh, did you ride it wrong?"

36
00:02:31,425 --> 00:02:33,385
"Did you use 
the brakes wrong?"

37
00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:35,120
And I thought:
"Yeah, it must be me."

38
00:02:35,182 --> 00:02:37,902
It must be because 
I did something wrong.

39
00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:43,480
And when things got really worse
and worse and people started talking

40
00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:45,040
and organizing 
themselves more,

41
00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:49,120
there was a small group starting
to organize themselves and to meet up

42
00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,920
and to say: "We need to change 
our working environment."

43
00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:57,000
Then I noticed,
and then we all noticed,

44
00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,840
that the problems weren't 
individual problems, but structural problems.

45
00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:06,360
So this is also something I learned
and I would take from this experience

46
00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,920
that it is crucial to talk to each other,
how we experience work

47
00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:13,640
and what are our 
individual working conditions

48
00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:19,200
Because perhaps a problem that I am
experiencing is not my individual problem

49
00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,840
with the boss, but a systemic problem 
through the whole company.

50
00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,640
So talking to each other, 
exchanging numbers

51
00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:29,564
and critically asking

52
00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:33,009
"What are our working
conditions?" is so important.

53
00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:42,960
What we are fighting 
for at the moment,

54
00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:48,480
is for the company 
to pay us all the missing wages.

55
00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:50,880
And we are asking for an 
Abfindung (settlement)

56
00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,960
and also to be in general
to be heard from the company and to

57
00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:58,800
speak with them now
since it was not possible

58
00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:00,920
to speak with them
when we were still employed.

59
00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:05,160
There are also some negotiations ongoing
and we are very happy about it

60
00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:11,000
and we invite even once more the CEO
of the company to come to this negotiation

61
00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,200
and to continue this 
negotiation with us,

62
00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:15,480
with the FAU,
the union.

63
00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:18,934
And yeah, that's 
what we demand.