PNN – In an article, a German publication assessed the wave of widespread strikes in various parts of Germany as an extraordinary strike situation that could bring the Federal Republic to a standstill.
According to the International group of Pakistan News Network, Tagus Spiegel newspaper in an article pointed to the wave of strikes and protests in Germany which continues and spreads to different sectors and raised the question by emphasizing that this experience is an extraordinary strike situation that Will Germany become a stagnant republic?
In local transport, in trains, in the air – workers are on strike everywhere, and here the question is whether French conditions now prevail in Germany. This is how experts explain continuous strikes.
This article continues: When the International Tourism Fair in Berlin ends this Thursday, many guests will have a hard time leaving. Parallel strikes at Deutsche Bahn, Lufthansa and security staff at Frankfurt and Hamburg airports are crippling travel for visitors. On Wednesday, Lufthansa cabin crew also voted to strike.
Many Germans increasingly imagine that they are experiencing a wave of strikes of unprecedented proportions, and here is the question of whether Germany (in the shadow of these strikes) will become a stagnant country?
Thorsten Scholten, a labor market expert from the Trade Union Institute of Economic and Social Sciences (WSI), says: We are currently experiencing an extraordinary strike situation. However, the simultaneous strikes in local transport, rail and aviation were random and did not follow any agreement. In particular, the Verdi Service Union always monitors the acceptance of strikes.
In 2022, Germany of course experienced few strikes. The Federal Employment Agency will not release figures for 2023 until the end of April. Schulten expects a significant increase in strike days – due to greater employee involvement in labor disputes. He said: “I expect this to be reflected in the figures of 2023 and 2024 as well.
“Scholten” relates the greater willingness of employees to strike to the high inflation of recent years and the reduction of real wages. This economic researcher says: distribution contradictions are more difficult now.
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This year, unions will try to negotiate an increase in the purchasing power of their members, and as a result, they will demand a significant increase in wages. The question is: “Who bears the costs of the crisis – employees or employers?” In Scholten’s view, the lack of skilled workers also contributes to the increased tendency to strike.
Political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder explains the perceived increase in labor disputes as a result of structural change. According to him, in the past, it was mainly industrial workers who went on strike. “We are currently experiencing strikes mainly in critical infrastructure – in railways, airports and hospitals,” says Schroeder. More people are affected by strikes in these sectors.
Frank Basirske, a green politician and former president of Verdi, also blames employers for many strikes.
At Lufthansa, pilots, flight attendants and ground staff fight independently – with different unions – for more pay. Security personnel at airports have been added to these. All this increases the probability of strikes.
“Lufthansa has very good annual results and its employees continue to suffer from inflation,” said Scholten, an economic researcher. This sense of injustice promotes strikes.
Political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder also blames Deutsche Bahn for exacerbating the current wage dispute. At the beginning of the collective bargaining round, Human Resources Director Martin Seiler announced that he did not want to negotiate reduced hours. “It was a fundamental siege that has had a significant impact on the conflict to this day,” says Schroeder.
Elsewhere: It is easy to predict a strike year in Germany in these circumstances, as it is clear which major collective agreements are on hold. The next negotiations will be in the construction industry, then the chemical industry in May, and after the summer, the metal and electrical industry, with several smaller rounds of negotiations in between, Scholten explains.
Recently, the wave of strikes and protests in different parts of Germany has caused many disturbances in this country, so that some experts have called this year the year of strikes in this country.
These strikes are held repeatedly in various sectors of public transport, medicine, airline employees and other sectors.