Unionists brave the rain

Created: 05/02/2022, 07:00

Protected from the rain under the umbrella, the Erdinger DGB youth spokeswoman Melanie Schäfer and other speakers spoke on the podium.

© Benedikt Klingbeil

For Labor Day, the DGB called again for the May Day rally on Schrannenplatz in Erding after the corona-related break.

Concerns about rising housing costs and higher wages in care were addressed.

Erding

– After a two-year break, a Labor Day rally took place on Saturday at Schrannenplatz.

In front of around fifty demonstrators, organizer Melanie Schäfer, youth spokeswoman for the DGB Erding-Freising, postulated: "Even if it's raining today, we'll take to the streets, because we don't only demonstrate when the weather is nice.

A strong lobby is needed to assert the interests of employees.”

Schäfer also disagrees with society's view of strikes: "Sometimes it gives the impression that trade unions only go on strike when the strike coffers are full.

But that is not the case, because whenever strikes are called, there is a reasonable reason and serious concerns.” The SPD local chairperson is particularly critical of the development at the online mail order company Amazon: “This example makes it clear what happens when there are hardly any works councils in a company.

There are no collective agreements and employees are constantly monitored.”

Deputy Mayor Petra Bauernfeind takes up this example in her greeting and explains: "No one is happy that Amazon is now coming to Erding, but the building law did not give us any room for manoeuvre." Bauernfeind particularly likes the motto of the rally "Shaping the future together": "Despite the current crises, we have our future in our own hands and can shape it." She also considers it important that an hour is an hour and that therefore every work must be properly paid.

Entertainment is also provided, as cabaret artist Josephine Gartner slips into the role of a husband and sarcastically addresses gender equality, reporting on "vaccination" and ultimately also lateral thinkers.

However, the war in Ukraine is also discussed.

The cabaret artist is critical of Qatar, the World Cup venue: "Human rights are important." In her role as Franz, she doesn't say a single good word about Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

After the humorous interlude, other speakers followed, including Guido Hoyer, DGB district chairman Erding-Freising.

He strongly condemns the war and welcomes the sanctions against Russia.

He is in favor of stopping Russian gas and coal, but at the same time calls on the federal government to protect the lower earners so that they do not suffer from the effects of higher energy prices.

Hoyer thinks the federal government's armament policy is wrong: "Armament has never made the world safer."

An important concern of the DGB district chairman is affordable housing: “Housing becomes a luxury, when the rent is deducted, many people are left with less than the subsistence level.” Hoyer has a clear stance on the subject of health: “Everyone has the same medical care to, whether rich or poor.

That's why we need a citizens' insurance that everyone, including the self-employed and civil servants, pays into.

Hospitals must also not be objects of speculation.” According to Hoyer, that would result in poorer working conditions and thus poorer patient care: “Working conditions do not improve through gossip, but through higher wages.”

The Verdi department manager for postal services, freight forwarders and logistics, David Merck, talks about the latest successes: "During the Corona crisis, eight million people were on short-time work at the top.

We have managed to get some companies to increase their short-time allowance by up to 100 percent.” Merck is also pleased about the increase in the minimum wage to twelve euros: “This means that millions of people will finally have enough money to pay their rent again and being able to afford a full refrigerator.” He emphasizes that successes have also been achieved for young people: “We have enforced a minimum trainee remuneration and the coalition agreement contains a training guarantee.”

By Benedikt Klingbeil

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Erding newsletter.)