www.newsandletters.org
|
|
NEWS & LETTERS, December 2007 - January 2008Our Life and Times by Kevin A. Barry and Mitch WeerthGerman rail strikeThe November railroad strike in Germany, unlike its French counterpart, shut down freight as well as passenger service for most of the country. Thus this two-day strike not only idled commuters, but also led to shutdowns of some steel mills and automobile plants. The Union of Railway Conductors (GDL), the small militant union that spearheaded the strike, has broken with the postwar tradition of broad industry-wide agreements. Railroad management went to the courts repeatedly in an effort to block the strike, but finally exhausted its legal options. The biggest concern was wages so low that a 40-year-old conductor averages only $32,000 per year take home pay. The strike was particularly effective in the former East Germany, where conductors had seen their wages kept below the levels of those in the West through maneuvers by management. This strike comes at a time when the German working class is becoming restive. Many have left the Social Democrats (SPD) to join the new Left Party. Public opinion is turning against the neo-liberal measures introduced by SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and continued by the current SPD-Christian Democratic coalition. This opposition can be seen in many ways, not least the fact that public opinion polls showed substantial support for the strikers. |
|
Home l News & Letters Newspaper l Back issues l News and Letters Committees l Dialogues l Raya Dunayevskaya l Contact us l Search Published by News and Letters Committees |
