2023-05-01 17:08:46
EA rally on May 1 should actually be a home game for an SPD politician like Mike Josef. After all, the mayor-elect was once a union secretary himself. But his speech at the central rally on the Römerberg on Monday was repeatedly interrupted. “Armor down, wages up,” chanted a small but loud group not far from the stage.
It was already clear on the train from Hauptwache to Römerberg that at least some of the demonstrators were at odds with the policies of Josef’s party friend, Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “Baerbock, Lindner, Olaf Scholz – the gun lobby proud” chanted representatives of the IG Metall youth, who also carried this slogan on a banner in front of them. They criticized the arms deliveries to Ukraine, which were decided by the traffic light government under Scholz, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Die Grünen) and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP).
4000 participants at the rally
There are also “different opinions within the unions as to what the right way to end this war is,” admitted Verdi boss Frank Werneke at the rally. However, there is agreement in the fight “against a policy that relies unilaterally on military logic”. In view of the special fund set up for the Bundeswehr, similar additional spending should also be possible for education and other challenges, such as the traffic turnaround. “100 billion euros for young people” was the motto of the rally, which the union said was attended by 5,000 people and, according to the police, a maximum of 4,000 people.
“Especially for people with a migration background, the hurdles to finding an apprenticeship are still high,” said Berfe Budak from the Federation of Democratic Workers’ Associations – an umbrella organization of various Turkish and Kurdish associations. She and other young women had gathered around a banner that read, “Work Reduction Now.” Reduced working hours in times of a shortage of skilled workers? She doesn’t really believe in that as long as companies rely on temporary workers and require trainees to have at least a high school diploma, Budak said.
Nurses live with the fear of making mistakes every day
However, two prospective nurses who appeared in front of the Römer confirmed that there was a lack of staff at least in their hospital. There are enough skilled workers, “just nobody wants to work under these catastrophic conditions,” said one of the two young men who introduced themselves as Quentin and Finn. As trainees, they often have to take on tasks that a registered nurse should actually do: “We live every day with the fear of making mistakes and harming our patients.”
Especially in a city like Frankfurt with its high rents, nursing staff should be paid better, the two demanded: “If you want to have more people, you have to provide more money.” However, an increase in the minimum wage in nursing was only decided last autumn: For nurses without training, it rose from twelve to 13.70 euros in September and just on May 1st to 13.90 euros per hour. A further increase to EUR 14.15 is planned for December. The rates are higher for nurses with one to two years of training and for nurses.
Verdi boss Werneke: More redistribution needed
Verdi boss Werneke expressed the conviction that far more redistribution between those receiving high and low incomes was necessary: ”If performance is an argument for higher pay, then the nurse should earn more than all the investment bankers in this city,” said the trade unionist, who, as the supervisory board of Deutsche Bank, can at least have a say in its remuneration policy.
Philipp Jacks, the managing director of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) in Frankfurt, called for an increase in citizen benefits, which replaced unemployment benefit II at the beginning of this year. Although the standard rates were also raised during the changeover, the plus of around 50 euros per month was “eaten up by inflation,” said Jacks. At the same time, he defended himself against the accusation that the wage increases won by the unions could lead to a wage-price spiral. The aim is to keep real wage losses as low as possible.
Mike Josef advocated that the city should only award public contracts to companies that paid collective wages. After all, the future mayor earned applause.
#Demand #money #education