Re: [Marxism] Germany: Beginning of a rupture between unions and SPD

["Johannes Schneider" <Johannes.Schneider@xxxxxxx>]

On Mon,  5 Jul 2004 21:43:53 +0800 (WST), Fred Fuentes
<fuentf01@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> forwarded:

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> FI-press-l                             Fourth International Press List
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Germany:
> Beginning of a rupture between unions and SPD
> Thies Gleiss*

While the article gives an excellent overview over the last two decades of
union politics in Germany, it is (in my eyes) a bit too uncrutical towards
the SPD dissidents.

As an antidote comrades might want to have a look at these articles from
the WSWS which provide a much more critical perspective:

Election Alternative meets in Berlin
Another safety valve for German social democracy
By our correspondent
28 June 2004
The first national conference of âElection Alternative: Jobs and Social
Justiceâ held June 20 in Berlin clearly exposed the political character
and purpose of this grouping. Rather than a vehicle for growing social
opposition to the government of German Chancellor Gerhard SchrÃder, it
constitutes a bureaucratic mechanism to divert this opposition and to
protect the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD).
The conference proceedings vindicated the World Socialist Web Siteâs
prognosis that, given its reformist program, the organization would soon
renounce even the limited aims it had initially proclaimed.
Full:
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/jun2004/germ-j28.shtml

Election alternative: Jobs and Social Justiceâa new reformist trap for
German workers
By Ute Reissner
19 June 2004
A new political formation calling itself âElection Alternative: Jobs and
Social Justiceâ will hold a national congress in Berlin on June 20. This
project is a dishonest manoeuvre by longstanding social democratic
functionaries and some of their left advisers. Its purpose is to strangle
growing popular opposition to the SPD (Social Democratic Party) and its
leader, German Chancellor Gerhard SchrÃder.
The main aim of the new formation is to prevent a political and
programmatic settling of accounts with social democracy. With the SPD
government demonstrating the dead end of social democratic reformism,
Election Alternative proposes that workers direct their efforts into the
hopeless task of reviving a perspective that has proven itself to be
bankrupt.
Full:
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/jun2004/germ-j19.shtml

On the policies of the metall workers union:
German-based Siemens imposes drastic wage cuts
By Elisabeth Zimmermann
2 July 2004
On Thursday of last week, the management of the German-based Siemens
concern and the trade union IG Metall finalised a supplementary contract
agreement for the companyâs 4,000 employees in its factories in Bocholt
and Kamp-Lintfort.
The contract stipulates that from July 1, 2004, workers at these two
factories, which produce mobile telephones, will be required to work 40
hours instead of the current 35-hour week. No extra payment will be made
for the additional 5 hoursâ work. Other payments, which were previously
guaranteed for every worker, such as extra payments for Christmas and
holidays, are to be axed and will be replaced by an annual payment based
on performance.
Full:
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/jul2004/siem-j02.shtml

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