------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the April 15, 2004 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
GERMAN PROTEST SURPISINGLY LARGE: EUROPEAN WORKERS FIGHT CUTBACKS By John Catalinotto In a coordinated action, over a million retirees and workers marched in Europe on April 3 to protest planned future cuts to pension plans, unemployment insurance and health care benefits. These marches included the largest workers' protests seen in Germany in half a century--a dramatic new development. The largest demonstrations were in Italy, where as many as a million people--mostly retirees--came to Rome. About half the total of 11.2 million Italian union members are retired. In Germany, up to 250,000 people marched in Berlin, many of them workers from formerly socialist eastern Germany. More than 100,000 protested in Cologne and another 120,000 in Stuttgart in the west. In both Italy and Germany, most demon strators marched under the banners of the major trade unions, but anti-globalization organizations and left political parties also participated. Another 75,000 marched in 60 cities in France. Trade unions also called demon stra tions in Belgium, Slovenia and Slovakia. The European ruling classes have stepped up their offensive against the workers since the fall of the Soviet Union. Using the excuse that they have to improve their competitive position, the bosses have attempted to cut not only wages but the significant benefits programs that workers won throughout much of Europe. These include medical care, unemployment benefits and retirement benefits that are far better than those in the United States--where benefits have been under attack since the Carter administration. In France and Italy, rightist governments have been leading the attack on the workers. In Germany, it is the Social Democratic Party under the leadership of Chancellor Helmut Schroeder that has introduced "Agenda 2010," a program of heavy social cutbacks. In addition, the German bosses are demanding a longer work week, even though unemployment has reached almost 11 percent. The French and Italian workers have been battling cutbacks for years with demon strations and one-day general strikes. Most recently, Italian public workers walked out for a day on March 26. But the outbreak of struggle among the relatively conservative German trade unions marks a new development. Most of the German trade union leaders are tied tightly to the Social Democratic Party. It is rare they mobilize a mass demonstration. Nearly everyone in the German protests wore buttons reading "Aufstehen" or "Stand up." The protests demonstrated clearly that the rank-and-file workers are demanding a more confrontational approach to the Schroeder government. So far Schroeder has refused to give in. The question now before the trade union leaders in Germany is whether they are up to the escalation in struggle necessary to win concessions, and whether they are willing to break with the Social Demo cratic leadership to represent their union members. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe wwnews- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
