Turn of the year - Annual review of the DGB Saxony: "Things are rumbling in Saxony"
The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) in Saxony has drawn a sobering balance for the year that is coming to an end. "Things are rumbling in Saxony, not only politically, but also in terms of people's working conditions. Poor wages, bad working hours and a lack of co-determination are no longer accepted without complaint, but employees are fighting back," DGB head Markus Schlimbach told the German Press Agency in Dresden. He called on employers to stop relying on cheap jobs.
"In 2023, employees in Saxony have shown that they are confidently fighting for their rights and actively campaigning for better wages and working conditions," emphasized Schlimbach, recalling strikes in the public sector, postal and rail services, the automotive industry and the energy sector. "New works councils were fought for and companies were brought into collective bargaining. This is thanks to the employees and their trade unions." However, there are still employers who are opposed to collective agreements and are not prepared to negotiate.
"Employers who simply stonewall employees' demands instead of negotiating will no longer be accepted by employees," said Schlimbach. The labor market has long been an employee market and no longer an employer market. "Employees are increasingly voting with their feet if the conditions are not right."
"Employers must do something to retain their skilled workers, and the best way to do this is through good, collectively agreed and co-determined work," demanded Schlimbach. Saxony is at the bottom of the league nationwide in terms of collective bargaining coverage. "Only 42 percent of employees work in companies with a collective agreement. It remains a scandal that public funds are still being awarded to cheap labor in Saxony. The low level of collective bargaining coverage in Saxony is causing billions in damage to social security, income tax and the purchasing power of employees."
Schlimbach called on the government to finally get the public procurement law off the ground and to go on the offensive for greater collective bargaining coverage. According to DGB calculations, the damage caused by collective bargaining in Saxony amounts to 3.3 billion euros annually in social security and 1.9 billion euros in income tax. A lack of collective bargaining coverage also reduces the purchasing power of employees by around 4.6 billion euros per year. "Employees in Saxony who are not paid according to collective agreements have an average of 4721 euros less net in their wallets per year than employees covered by collective agreements."
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- During the annual review, the DGB Saxony's employer, Markus Schlimbach, expressed concerns about the working conditions in Saxony, mentioning poor wages, bad working hours, and a lack of co-determination.
- In response to the concerns raised by the DGB, employees in Saxony have been actively demanding better wages and working conditions, leading to strikes in various sectors such as public services, postal services, rail services, the automotive industry, and the energy sector.
- Employers who fail to negotiate with their employees in regards to these demands will no longer be tolerated, as Schlimbach stated that the labor market is now an employee market and employees are ready to leave if the conditions are not satisfactory.
- To address this issue and improve collective bargaining coverage in Saxony, which is currently at just 42%, Schlimbach urged the government to enforce public procurement laws, arguing that the lack of collective bargaining is causing billions in damage to social security, income tax, and employee purchasing power.
Source: www.stern.de
