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Farmers' association calls for a week of action against austerity plans

The unpleasant Advent news has caught farmers all over Germany off guard: they are to be hit twice over by austerity plans. The farmers' association is calling for a week of action.

Tractors belonging to farmers from the Wittenberg area block the access road to the A9 near Coswig.....aussiedlerbote.de
Tractors belonging to farmers from the Wittenberg area block the access road to the A9 near Coswig. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

Household - Farmers' association calls for a week of action against austerity plans

The German Farmers' Association has called for a week of action from January 8 in response to the German government's plans to cut taxes. "Enough is enough: the federal government's tax increase plans must be withdrawn," demanded Association President Joachim Rukwied on Platform X. At the same time, the association called on people to refrain from "pointless blockades". "We have the population behind us, we must not gamble that away," said Rukwied. The week of action is to culminate in a major demonstration in Berlin on January 15. The transport industry also wants to take part.

The German government wants to abolish tax concessions for farmers on agricultural diesel and vehicle tax in order to plug holes in the budget. Farmers have been demonstrating against the plans for days, sometimes causing traffic disruptions.

Hauliers want to join the farmers

In January, freight forwarders and their employees want to join the farmers' actions. In an appeal on Friday, the Federal Association of Road Haulage, Logistics and Disposal demanded, among other things, relief on tolls and diesel fuel and more money for roads, bridges and parking lots. "We are starting the week of action on January 8 with demonstrations in the state capitals," it said. The highlight will be the demonstration in Berlin a week later.

Possible overlap with rail strike

The week of action could coincide with further strikes by train drivers. Their union GDL had announced in the rail wage dispute that industrial action could be expected again from January 8. Rail travelers must therefore be prepared for three to five days of strikes on the rails. However, no dates have yet been announced.

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Source: www.stern.de

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