Germany

Not so red

On 5 December, Bodo Ramelow became the first state premier in Germany from Die Linke, Germany’s Left Party, which is a composite of remnants of the old ruling party of East Germany and a left split (mainly in West Germany) from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in 2005. He heads a three-way “red-red-green” coalition with the SPD and the Greens in Thuringia. There has been outcry from the German right against an alleged return of the old East German Stalinist dictatorship, which this isn’t. But, for Die Linke’s newer, more left-wing, post-Stalinist members, the prospects aren’t good. The...

Industrial news in brief

Cleaners working for Interserve at Waterloo station struck on 10-11 November after a manager claimed “we shouldn’t be employing black people.” The strikes will take place between 3pm on Monday and 3pm on Tuesday, and for a further 24 hours starting at 3pm on 21 November. The RMT union says bosses have refused to address the allegation through agreed procedures. The union also says Interserve has underpaid wages, as well as victimising, bullying and harassing staff. Cleaners at Waterloo are not the only ones facing these conditions, or fighting back. Across various contractors, cleaners...

German train drivers strike for pay rise

Train drivers for German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn struck for 50 hours from Saturday 18 October. The strike is the fifth in recent weeks. The union is demanding a five per cent wage hike and a shorter working week of 37 hours. Deutsche Bahn has accused the union, GDL, of “running amok” as the 50 hour strike tactically hits a holiday weekend in Germany. The dispute is the largest within the train network since 2008 and is one of the largest disputes the country has seen in recent years. The strike comes as the German grand coalition government is working on legislation to stop...

Free education in Germany

As the student movement in the UK gears up for what will hopefully be another mass revival in activism and political engagement amongst young people, Germany is already celebrating free education. But the success hasn’t come easy, and it is worth reminding those involved in the struggle here that tuition fees will still be in place the day after the national demonstration for free education on 19 November. They may well still be here in ten years. Germany won the fight after 15. In 1999, the Alliance Against Tuition Fees was founded, made up of 200 organisations including student unions, trade...

Europe

Download PDF Articles: Renault workers say Europe without frontiers yes, Europe without jobs no! (Colin Foster) The Left and Europe The revolt of the German miners There is only one socialist answer on Europe, workers unite! (Annie o' Keffe)

Survey

Download PDF Articles: Scotrail workers take on union bosses Glenroy Watson, rank and file challenge The GMB's friends in the north Chinese dissident jailed London Hospital crisis Postal workers: don't throw the vote away! German trade unionists say 'we are not alone' Class struggle in Germany Racist backlash in Australia US labor builds

Survey

News: German workers "learn French" Will Italy break up? The Republicrat victory Dockers stop ships in solidarity The big dipper Israel, the danger of war (Adam Keller) Download PDF

The Monthly Survey

Articles: John Major's "beef war" (Alan Gilbert) Towards a summer of discontent? Rail and post go into battle (Tom Wills) Deep divisions in Israel Germany's workers are fighting back (Rhodri Evans) Socialist Labour Party: Little controversy, no orientation, no hope (Martin Thomas) The new left in Unison (Sleeper) Download PDF

Trotskyists at Buchenwald

Extracts from an interview with Marcel Beaufrere after he spent two years in Hitlers jails. Published in La Verite, 11 May 1945 click here for PDF

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