Germany, FAU-IAA - Work contract strike at the Meyer Werft Papenburg -- A historic turning point (de)

Experienced the day before International Women's Day 2014, by the public almost unnoticed, 
a spontaneous strike of work compatibility learning at the Meyer Werft shipyard in 
Papenburg. Only the locally as "Ems-Zeitung" published New Osnabr?ck newspaper (NOZ) 
reported in detail about the strike action and the NDR brought a short local report on the 
program "Hello Lower Saxony." Here, this strike is in fact a historic event and can also 
be a turning point as 1973 represent: The 150 to 200 strikers Werkvertr?gler have 
prevailed within two days and one eight-hour marathon negotiations over the working time 
dealer "Dirks Group" from Emden, that they - on request - receive German labor contracts 
and that they no longer have a working time account balance their overtime, but these get 
paid monthly. German labor contracts also mean, for example, health insurance and paid 
sick leave. So far, the affected workers were apparently no sick pay and had to go in 
advance for doctor visits.

Under the title "A historic turning point" (May / June 2013) was in the direct action 217 
on the 40th Anniversary reminiscent of the wave of "wildcat strikes" in Germany in 1973. 
In the former wave of strikes, especially the Cologne Ford strike because of its size and 
the Neuss Pierburg strike stood out, the latter mainly because he was successful as almost 
pure women and migrant strike and then "Light wage group II" wegstreikte. 41 years later 
working conditions for migrants are quite gotten better everywhere. While there is no more 
light wage groups, but temporary and contract work. Beginning in July 2013 became the 
Papenburg shipyard Meyer-Werft in this regard in the headlines: Zusammengepferchte 
Romanian and Bulgarian work contract workers experienced a fire in which two workers were 
killed. Union, Lower Saxony government and Meyer-Werft responded with a "Social Charter", 
which improved the living conditions of Werkvertr?gler well.

It was also noted in this context that the Eastern European workers (workers probably 
rarely) drove forbidden double and triple layers in Germany. catch: This overtime was 
certainly in the interest of Werkvertr?gler, because the Romanian and Bulgarian workers 
motivated mainly interest, their fund families in Eastern Europe. On 6 And 7 However, in 
March 2014 dropped them another possibility to do so. experienced the day before 
International Women's Day 2014, by the public, almost unnoticed, a spontaneous strike of 
work compatibility learning at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg. Only the locally as 
"Ems-Zeitung" published New Osnabr?ck newspaper (NOZ) reported in detail about the strike 
action and the NDR brought a short local report on the program "Hello Lower Saxony." Here, 
this strike is in fact a historic event and can also be a turning point as 1973 represent: 
The 150 to 200 strikers Werkvertr?gler have prevailed within two days and one eight-hour 
marathon negotiations over the working time dealer "Dirks Group" from Emden, that they - 
on request - receive German labor contracts and that they no longer have a working time 
account balance their overtime, but these get paid monthly.

German labor contracts also mean, for example, health insurance and paid sick leave. So 
far, the affected workers were apparently no sick pay and had to go in advance for doctor 
visits. Papenburg 2014, mirroring the success of Pierburg 1973. The NOZ journalist Stefan 
Prince commented rightly titled "A Gathering Storm": "For years, were Eastern European 
factory contract workers in the industry as well as quiet as undemanding. Even under the 
harshest working conditions have never suggested publicly audible protest. If individuals 
but rebelled once more, they were the subcontractors often effectively with the immediate 
deportation to their home country. The image of the weak factory contract workers is 
obsolete since yesterday: With the strike of Romanians and Bulgarians at the Meyer Werft 
is something essential has changed. The Eastern Europeans have recognized that they have 
power in a foreign country if they join together. They have succeeded with a peaceful, 
two-day walkout to enforce claims. It will be interesting to see if this was just the 
beginning. Or if possibly follow strikes by further calls for equality. Then, many German 
companies have a problem. " Yet here we have a single strike, which is quite an admirable 
innovation of its own. With any luck, but Papenburg is also a beacon and could trigger a 
wave of strikes that can compete with 1973. This happens but not by itself. Now it is 
important to pass on the experience of a victorious workers' struggle from the most 
precarious. Let's hope that the example with this.