As Germany's winter of industrial collapse continues, young German workers are showing renewed interest in forming trade unions and taking industrial action. Following last weekend's call for a large-scale strike by the train drivers' union, many of the country's air traffic controllers have called for a warning strike at 11 airports this weekend, and many regional transport operators have also called for a warning strike this weekend. The service was suspended.
The union that called for the latter strike was one of Germany's largest, Verdi, which currently calls 2023 its most successful year since its founding in 2001. Verdi, which represents 1.9 million service workers across a variety of industries, welcomed 193,000 new members in 2023. Net profit is 40,000.
Similar trends can be seen in other unions. GDL, the small but well-known train drivers' union that led last weekend's strike, recently reported an 18% increase in membership since 2015. Similarly, the Gastronomic Union NGG, Germany's oldest trade union, added more than 20,000 new members last year.
Stefan Kerzel, principal board member of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), an umbrella organization for several major trade unions, said that five of the eight member associations increased their membership last year, and the The development was welcomed.
“First of all, we are really happy,” he told DW. “This is a positive sign. We have an age pyramid, just like all other membership organizations – political parties, churches, clubs. Over the past couple of years we have seen smart politics and smart representation of interests. I think we managed to change the situation through 'trends. “
Is it a surge or a trend?
But Kerzel was alarmed by the fact that trade union membership in Germany has been steadily declining for decades, and last year appeared to be an anomaly. The overall number of DGB members has declined from 9.3 million in the mid-1990s to 5.6 million today. This is primarily due to demographic changes as older generations of workers gradually disappear into retirement.
To compensate for these “natural” losses, major unions like Verdy need to find at least 150,000 new members each year. In that context, any new increase in membership may be temporary. But the numbers also show renewed interest among younger generations, a positive sign for unions. According to Verdi, more than 50,000 of its new members are under the age of 28.
“We have it across the board,” Koelzel said. “Even in unions whose total membership did not increase at the end of the year, the number of young people increased.”
Torsten Schulten, a researcher at the DGB-affiliated Hans Bächler Foundation, attributes Verdy's large number of new members mainly to recent labor disputes. However, this does not mean that unions are intentionally promoting strikes to increase their own power.
“I think the union itself has been surprised by how strong the support and participation has been from its members,” he said. “I think it’s driven in part by the members.”
Schulten believes that the current wave of industrial action is primarily a result of increasing social hardship. “We should not forget that over the past few years we have had historically high inflation rates that have forced employees to take significant reductions in their real salaries,” he said. “And this creates serious problems for low-income people. […] And who, if not the union, can ensure that compensation is achieved? ”
Kerzel also attributes this development in part to the role of trade unions in the recent economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. He said unions had helped ensure mass unemployment was prevented by working with governments and businesses to adapt to short-time contracts and negotiate compensation packages.
More pressure, more confident employees
Another important factor, Schulten said, is that workers realize that companies need them more than ever, given the shortages in the labor market. “They're not afraid of losing their jobs,” he says. “However, a shortage of skilled workers does not automatically lead to improved working conditions and requires active engagement.”
Marcel Fratzscher, director of the German Institute for Economic Research, agreed: “We have 1.8 million job openings and our employees are feeling more confident and want better working conditions and better pay.'' “I'm saying that,” he told DW.
The problem, however, is that fewer jobs in Germany are tied to collective bargaining promises negotiated by trade unions. In Germany, only 50% of jobs in certain industries are covered by collective agreements aimed at paying fair wages, far short of the 80% target set by the 2022 European Union Directive. . This means that half of Germany's jobs are effectively unemployed. Influence on trade unions — issues that trade unions seek to address.
“Of course, it's difficult to reach workers who don't have a collective bargaining agreement,” Koelzel said. “But we have seen, for example, even delivery workers working with us and their companies fighting to get such agreements as well.”
Editor: Lina Goldenberg
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