Right-wing parties
have not only won votes in the EU elections
they are also creating a tense atmosphere in many workplaces.
We asked works council members and labour union secretaries.
How present are the right really in the companies?
We are here on a rainy April day
in Rastatt.
In the back you can see the customer centre
of the Mercedes Benz factory Rastatt.
Which employs around 6.500 people
We both work in assembly, piecework.
My name is Olaf Klenke.
I am a member of the union NGG
And secretary of the Eastern regional district.
I am Anja Voigt. An intensive care nurse
in a large hospital here in Berlin.
I am also a member of the works council there
and have been active in the union for a very long time.
I am Stefan,
I am 42 years old, from Leipzig
and a worker for 26 years, I say that with pride.
We want to find out,
How anti-fascist colleagues are organising in their workplaces
and what they and the unions can do to contain the right-wing trend
and reverse it.
THE SITUATION IN THE WORKPLACES
The situation in many sectors today
is simply a reflection of society.
And if I have districts where the AfD has 40, 50 % support,
Then of course this is also reflected in the factories.
For a long time I assumed that in my bubble,
in this medical bubble, That everything is fine.
We follow the steps of Florence Nightingale
and had to realize
in the last few years
that racism is on the rise (we have many migrant colleagues)
racist remarks are more frequent
during the day.
I would not say
that they spread classic right-wing ideas,
but this latent racism enters the clinic little by little.
We actually are aware of an organised Right
That is just starting in our sites.
It is not like there is an organised right-wing movement
in every factory. They are still more in the minority.
But if this continues if the AfD solidifies
organizes stronger - and it has also gained members
in the last years,
then it is only a matter of time, that this will enter
in the factories and labour union structures.
We have unionists who want to make a difference.
They see the injustices at work and
they don't automatically say
"We don't want to have anything to do with the Afd"
They want to change the conditions at work
and in society. They are dissatisfied with politics
and the AfD is the one that's shaking things up there.
The dominating list
in our company is of course the IG Metall.
But we also have a list
of the right union "Zentrum"
who also got one or two seats in the works council
at the last election.
They have been an association since 2009,
founded in Stuttgart.
One founding member was Oliver Hilburger.
He played the bass in a Nazi band.
And other founding members are people,
involved with the forbidden "Wiking Youth"
Those are people who can be
Now, in the further history
clearly be localized
in neo-Nazi networks and also in networks
with Hitler-fascism orientated Nazis.
There is enough material that proves quite clearly:
This is a fascist organisation.
The spokesman
in our factory is often seen at rallies
together with the "Free Saxons"
which is a far right party.
So it's clearly a right-wing orientated union,
which has the goal, to bully the
"left system unions" as they call them
out of the factories
and to negotiate wages and working hours
with self-established works councils
directly with the employers,
without the - from their point of view
Left labour unions.
Yes, that's their goal!
"Zentrum" as association
is really dangerous,
because that is the link to the workplaces
that the fascists already wanted in the 90ies.
They are also testing the ground in other sectors.
And they are linked to the Identitarian movement
with Compact magazine, with the AfD, with various
guaranteed fascist organisations.
The problem with "Zentrum" would be much worse
And also the support
and the election results would be much better,
if they had people who were able to articulate themselves better,
who were charismatic
sympathetic and and empathetic.
If they were able to give easy explanations
so that people could
make better sense of it,
but they don't have them, fortunately.
But it is probably only a matter of time,
until they find them and then bring them to the front.
And until then we need to, not only position ourselves
against them with empty phrases, but also
work against in terms of content together with the employees.
It is very important that we also include them in the demands
Raised towards their employers
and develop common strategies to improve the situation
in the work directly for us.
Harmless,
To be underestimated
no way!
Only what they are accomplishing specifically here is
yes..., not really much.
And yet they have voters.
We have to acknowledge that.
WHERE DOES THE RACISM ORIGINATE?
I think a really big role is really played by the
capitalist mechanisms,
that influence our daily work.
The profit, the returns, the dividends for the shareholders,
the future outlook for the capital
has to grow and grow.
More and more profit is needed, ever higher dividends, and so on
and that puts us as a workers under pressure,
because work is therefore more demanding
that we need to produce more.
Currently, we are at work five, six days.
And the right-wingers use this
in society as well as in the workplaces, of course,
To create a tense climate. And unions are not able
To defend themselves convicingliy
Also because the legal framework often does not allow it.
And that for the right-wing people
a good starting point to hold against these unions.
Why are they allowing this? That's how they put it.
So my perception, or my opinion is
with more migrant colleagues some issues arise.
You have to find a way to deal with it.
Often they are not introduced properly.
But I also think it has a lot to do with that
Generally, we do not have good working conditions
in the hospitals.
And then you look for for someone to blame.
The companies often make it very easy for themselves,
In that they simply hire people, partly through temp agencies
partly direct,
and say you have enough people here,
but they don't care if the workers can communicate
They don't make sure that they are properly trained
And that can be a point of conflict.
Even if also find that there is a lot of comprehension
From the colleagues.
That it is unfair the way they are treated.
Well, I wouldn't say that the main point
is racism, but there is a general feeling.
There are certain priorities,
which are set in politics, where it is said: For refugees
you have a lot of money.
There was nothing left for us for years
and there's a always a fuss around this.
And when I say:
Even if the refugees would not receive money anymore
still not a single one of you would get one only cent more,
and many people understand it
if you put it that way, it is already clear.
And yet we are not capable
to show a different perspective.
When in discussions they want to "Send everyone back home"
and if you then ask, well,
but half of your colleagues would then be gone,
how would you manage your work? "Yes, a few can
stay, but the majority should leave!"
Yes, there are already these classic demands.
There are
also discussions here and there
around how we stand on topics like migration
How we position
around certain points such as migration.
Unfortunately, they are mostly centered on these topics
which have nothing to do specifically with our work
and with our working conditions. With wich endure
40 hours a week or longer
first hand.
STRATEGIES AGAINST THE RIGHT
At some point I told this list manager
"Hey, I'll fight you!
You stand for something, And you have never denied it.
I am fighting you, because I am an anti-fascist,
but not by by hitting you on the head,
But by showing what is really the alternative,
namely active union work in the company."
I'm sure some others have certainly done the same.
One way or another,
but not so organised
and consequent to say:
We dont't want "Zentrum" here!
The "Aktive Metaller" were the first.
For example at the last election
Of the works council two colleagues
Set up the list "Alternative against Zentrum"
and they also received a lot of votes.
Not necessarily with the intention
to join the works council,
they just wanted to signal
Their presence. They work in surface coating,
And are well known, and trusted people.
With their list "Alternative against Zentrum"
They wanted to have their votes. And it worked!
What we are offering currently
is to support colleagues with talking points,
with networking and exchange.
How to deal with certain situations.
How to react when in a WhatsApp group,
We often have these work chats
for shift changes or substitutions etc.
How to deal when there are any
messages that disqualify people?
Or spread prejudices against
refugees, or share
fake news?
That's where we try to to get fitter.
How do we deal with such situations?
How do we take a stand against it?
And there are just very different experiences of how this works.
We have currently three offers:
We have a photo petition
where colleagues show their faces.
That's essential.
They take a photo of themselves and say: "Not without my colleagues!"
We have also designed flyers that explain
Why the AfD is not a good option, especially not in hospitals
It focuses specifically on their health policy
We had a close look at the party programme
And what it says about health policy and unions.
So we have this flyer
And we are offering
debate trainings
because that was a common request:
"I would like to say something, when I hear something offensive,
but then I'm always speechless. What would be a cool
reply to such comments?
And then we had the idea
for the debate training, which includes exactly that.
How do I actually react appropriatly in these situations
to something, that I don't like?
There was already a seminar, that was well attended.
We will offer more and what
I noticed in these these seminars,
There were also colleagues there, that are not active normally.
And I think it's the right offer for them,
Colleagues who are not always in the front lines
but who also say: "I'd like to reply something,
but I don't really dare."
And here I might get some ideas.
If we want to avoid fascist organisations like
"Zentrum Automobil", or others
to gain a foothold in the industries
then in my opinion and also according to my experience
and the experience in other companies
The best option is
to be active, to unionize,
to learn about labour union organisation,
in order to create such an antibody
that protects people from
- out of sheer frustration and anger about the situation,
which is created in all companies,
about the injustice, about
increasingly poor working conditions.
Protects them from following the pied pipers
of the Nazi organisations
But to say very clearly: "Hey, I'm a worker here
And not because I think this place is so great,
but because I need to live and survive."
And everything else follows from that.
You have to think about it.
We have industries,
where people work in three/four shifts, on weekends
just above minimum wage.
And anyone who has ever worked in a four-shift system
with the night shifts that means and they know exactly,
that they will not arrive to the retirement at 67
and they have no earnings, when they leave.
And they ask themselves: "What am I working for?
Why do I pay into into the pension scheme?"
And they know: "I will be kicked out of the company at some point,
because I can't do the work anymore I get kicked out and that's it.
Thanks a lot."
So, and that's just a bitterness
also this one is about this situation
and that's where we as unions can start to make a difference
by fighting for better working and pay conditions,
where we work a lot in Some Eastern factories
where there is great resentment and turn it
into activity and where also unions are rediscovered.
And that's where you can move a lot in companies.
But you reach certain limits, if we as a society are not able
To get a course change
And you just have to see that,
is not enough, if the unions are purely
Focused on the workplaces
We have to be more active and visible in politics
And show politically alternative answers
That would actually be the task of the Left within the unions.
To prepare the ground and do that.
And that is were I see
a need for action.
SHORTCOMINGS OF THE LEFT
For a long time
They have not clearly positioned themselves
Or at least not loud or clearly enough
Of course you hear statements like:
"Not with the AfD, not with Nazis."
"We are anti-racist", definitely!
And in my union, at ver.di
there are also resolutions, that express this clearly.
But I think in times like today
We need to be much more in-your-face with it
make it much clearer, say it more often.
Better to say it twice, than just once.
And also in places, where the colleagues are.
What use is it to to give a great speech
at some federal congress?
We have to go into the work as unionist and there on site
Take note of all the problems,
Offer solutions and then also clearly say what are no solutions.
But of course we still need fight for better working conditions,
better wages
to take this further.
It's not always just about the money,
it's also about working conditions, especially in my field.
And that's where unions
need to find even better answers,
how to get our colleagues out of there.
It is also important that the employees are involved
in collective bargaining
To formulate the demands.
Even if it is not just about the salary,
but also in the collective labour agreements,
the working conditions in general.
That doesn't happen enough for me either.
Some things are changing in the metal and electrical industry, at IG Metall.
We are at the beginning of a new round of collective bargaining
this will be the first one, in which the employees
are also surveyed about their demands.
This is a first step in the right direction.
But a lot more has to happen.
And in this way you can of course
involve the workers better in union work,
into the problem definition, discuss them together
and then make demands to the legislators.
And I believe that the representatives are still too much among themselves,
are not involving the employees enough
And this brings me to a very important point:
Against a right union like "Zentrum"
and to get the people on board the IG Metall.
That the discussion within the union is more well-intentioned
and deals with approaches
that do not represent the mainstream
and are independent,
which under certain circumstances
in the first understanding
Are not imposed by the unions
But by active people on the ground.
I think, as far as the unions are concerned
We have a huge opportunity,
because we,
the union,
Have a broad base and the stronger the union is in the company,
the more members it should have.
And that means that we also organise a whole range of employees
and that means we have a huge chance to
get into discussions with people, which the Left often lacks,
but to be open for political issues
it is just the prerequisite that the union
has a proper anchorage in the industries.
And I'm not just talking about
saying that we have a certain number of members,
but that the union is lived
and that the colleagues decide for themselves,
what is important to them and to raise the issues
for example in collective bargaining and that the union
supports them completely and empowers them.
The people in the East, that's the area,
that is important for me
were simply kept down, told not to act up.
And now things are starting to change, in the last few years.
And that means we have a huge opportunity,
to empower workers Give them a confidence boost.
To help them realising that they can be a force, that
yes, the experience we have, that for the people it is a
revelation when they experience
That they can also turn the tables
That they are powerful.
And if we all stick together
and stand up for our interests, then we can make a difference.
We are preparing for collective bargaining in a large employer,
Where everyone is already looking forward to it.
Because they realised: The last time we did it
We were able to make significant changes.
They're all looking forward to it, they know what they can do.
And that means that the union, through its work
needs to empower their members
But must also talk honestly about when things go wrong
or how certain things did not go far enough.
We'll have to talk about that:
What was the reason?
And don't gloss over anything and say everything is great!
But be honest.
Working together with the workers there, giving them a voice.
And that is the best guarantee for strong unions inside companies.
And that is also an entry ticket,
To talk seriously about other alternatives.
Because I can't be that a union in the company
makes a shitty wage agreement or
is not involving people and then
At the meeting says: "But don't vote for the AfD!"
People then rightly say: "You achieved nothing for us!"
"We had to swallow shit"
"And now you say I shouldn't vote AfD!"
But we have to enter exactly
into this mindset. We have to change something.
And also the feeling That it can be good,
Because no matter if one
Is on the right or left, we still agree on some points
That affect us 40 to 48 hours a week
directly at the workplace.
And that's where we need to start.
SHORTCOMINGS OF THE LEFT
So for the German Left, the parties as well
As other leftist contexts that exist.
The Left does not appear as relevant factor
either because it doesn't reach the people or because it somehow
is seen as part of the establishment.
The appeal of left-wing ideas and the belief that we
really get to the the wealth is not very popular.
This also has to do with the fact that we have few
social movements,
who have such succeeded in this effort.
I once spoke to a colleague during a break at a training.
on the increase in taxes
(She just had a baby)
For nappies and that they are so expensive.
And she wondered why that is:
"But they care more
about the renaming streets in Berlin"
I was a bit surprised because this is a cool colleague!
The street renamings
have to do with history
and there also must be an understanding for that.
And now
we've been talking the whole time
about the new street names and not about taxes!
Why diapers are subject to high VAT
even if they are a basic commodity.
That's right, she said.
Germany is actually rich enough that they could cut costs
because you can get the money somewhere else.
Then she said to me:
"That will never change,
that they have so much money up there and we have so little."
This perspective,
that we can do something about it,
We hardly have any successful examples, where we have achieved them.
This means that we have To discuss it more,
How can we put redistribution issues back on the agenda?
How can we rise attention on the question of the welfare state,
About defending and expanding the welfare state?
With this citizen's income debate, that we are now experiencing
and also partly with the pension insurance,
who will argue the welfare state is already
under attack in some areas.
And I have the same feeling,
That this is just not Recognised by many.
They organize political campaigns And don't realise how strongly
right-wing campaigns for the citizen's income are catching on.
That is simply frightening.
Partially,
where I sometimes say to myself for some left
groups or organisations, damn it!
You live in this world
and 80 % of the population lives in another world.
And then you ask yourself, why doesn't the Left reach them?
Because that's the way it is.
You have to think about that. How we change this?
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