Status: 04.01.2024, 22:04 p.m.
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Protest of farmers in Thuringia. © Bodo Schackow/dpa
In December, farmers with thousands of tractors in Berlin attracted a lot of attention for their criticism of the federal government. They plan to protest again on Monday. Some couldn't wait that long.
Berlin - The farmers' association has been taking its frustration with the federal government to the streets since the pre-Christmas period, and from Monday the farmers now want to draw attention to their situation with a week of action. Angry farmers have already prevented Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) from leaving a ferry in Schlüttsiel in Schleswig-Holstein. They blocked the investor, as a police spokesman told the German Press Agency. Habeck, who is also Minister of Economic Affairs, therefore had to return to the Hallig Hooge.
A spokeswoman for Habeck told dpa that the minister was happy to talk to the farmers. "Unfortunately, the security situation did not allow for talks with all farmers, and the offer of talks made by Minister Habeck with individual farmers was unfortunately not accepted."
The farmers are outraged by the reduction of subsidies planned by the traffic light coalition. Today, the federal government reacted to the massive farmers' protests: The coalition wants to abandon the abolition of the vehicle tax exemption for agriculture. The abolition of the tax incentive for agricultural diesel is to be stretched and carried out in several steps, as the spokesman of the federal government announced in Berlin. The German Farmers' Association, however, considers the measures to be insufficient - and is sticking to a week of action planned from Monday.
How big will the farmers' protest be? Many questions still unanswered
Association president Joachim Rukwied calls on the governing coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP to withdraw savings plans for agricultural diesel and vehicle tax. He considers improvements announced on Thursday by the federal government to be insufficient. The Federal Association of Road Haulage, Logistics and Waste Management (BGL) plans to join the protests next week.
The planned week of action has already caused a lot of excitement on social networks. "The German Farmers' Association distances itself in the strongest possible terms from imbeciles with fantasies of subversion, radicals and other extreme fringe groups who want to hijack our week of action and co-opt our protest for their concerns," the farmers' association wrote on Instagram. A general strike, which is being talked about in the networks, is legally almost impossible in Germany. Employers are organised in both the farmers' association and the BGL - they can call for a protest, but this is not a legally protected strike.
The most important questions and answers about the upcoming week of action:
What exactly is the farmers' association planning?
In response to the federal government's austerity plans, the association has called for a week of action starting on January 8. It is to culminate in a large-scale demonstration in Berlin on 15 January. What exactly will happen on the individual days is still open in detail. For Monday, for example, rallies and rallies have been announced.
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The federal government wanted to cut tax breaks for farmers on agricultural diesel and motor vehicle tax in order to plug holes in the budget. On Thursday, it announced that it would partially reverse the planned cuts in subsidies. Accordingly, the motor vehicle tax exemption is to remain. The abolition of the tax incentive for agricultural diesel will not be carried out in one step, it said.
The farmers were not appeased by this. "This can only be a first step," Rukwied stressed. "Our position remains unchanged: both cuts must be taken off the table." The association is sticking to the week of action.
Even before Christmas, farmers demonstrated against the plans, in some cases causing traffic disruptions. "The federal government's tax increase plans must be withdrawn," association president Joachim Rukwied recently demanded. At a large protest on December 18 in Berlin, more than 3000,1700 tractors came to the capital, according to the association, while the police spoke of <>,<> tractors.
What are the carriers planning?
The Federal Association of Road Haulage, Logistics and Waste Management is calling for reductions in tolls and diesel fuel and more money for roads, bridges and parking lots. The association therefore wants to join the farmers' actions. "We will start the week of action on January 8 with demonstrations in the state capitals," it said. Here, too, details are missing so far.
What effects can be expected?
This is difficult to estimate in view of the still incomplete information situation - but a major chaos on the streets is not foreseeable so far. It is likely that there will be isolated and regional disruptions, especially demonstrations with tractors usually attract a lot of attention simply because of the size of the vehicles and tend to cause traffic jams. It is also possible that farmers will occasionally block roads with their tractors. However, major effects on the everyday lives of most people in Germany are not to be expected.
What role does the train drivers' union GDL play in this?
The GDL is currently in difficult wage negotiations with Deutsche Bahn and will foreseeably call for a longer strike on the railways in the next few days. However, this has nothing to do with the plans of farmers and hauliers, there is only a coincidental overlap in time. The goals of the organizations are also completely different: The GDL is interested in more money for a good 10,000 DB employees, not in criticism of the traffic light government.
Whether the actions of the farmers at the same time as a GDL strike will cause chaos in traffic is also completely open and depends on the exact plans of the two organizations - which are not yet known in detail.
General strike - is that even possible in Germany?
No, general strikes are as good as impossible in the Federal Republic of Germany and the term for the upcoming events is out of place. The right to strike is a valuable asset in the Federal Republic of Germany. Crucially, however, the strike refers to the conclusion of a collective agreement, not to political goals or ideas. "The case law in Germany clearly states that strikes are not possible for political goals. General strikes for political goals are also out of the question," said Ernesto Klengel of the Hugo Sinzheimer Institute for Labour and Social Law to the German Press Agency.
In the case of strikes for collective agreements, the participants are legally protected, for example, such industrial action may not be cited as a reason for dismissal. This protection does not apply to protests or demonstrations during working hours. So anyone who stops work next week to show solidarity with the farmers against the policies of the federal government risks consequences.
"Of course, even as a business association, you can call for demonstrations. Legally, however, this is a completely different level than a strike," explained Klengel. "An unlawful strike or general strike could result in claims for damages for the associations. That's probably why they're distancing themselves from the term." dpa