Sofie Legutke is part of the Green Trades initiative in the grassroots
trade union Free Workers' Union (FAU), which has taken part in thefarmers' protests in recent days. Peter Nowak spoke to her. ---- Why doyou support the farmers' protests? ----- Because we are agriculturalworkers ourselves and know the plight of small and medium-sized farms.It's no longer just about agricultural diesel. It's about a policy thathas been harming farms for decades, exploiting seasonal workers andpromoting the agricultural industry and non-agricultural investors.What exactly did this support look like in the last few days?We went to various protests across Germany to show solidarity withcolleagues and bring our concerns closer to people in the city. But alsoto show a clear stance against attempts at right-wing appropriation andto express our displeasure when conservative forces want to encouragethose affected to "step down".Many media outlets emphasize that right-wing groups are also taking partin the protests. Did you notice anything about it?Yes, we could observe that in some places. In Saxony, for example, it isthe "Free Saxons" who are trying to take over the protests, but theirprotests had little to do with agriculture. It varies greatly locally asto whether right-wing appropriation is successful; fortunately, manypeople clearly distance themselves.It is often argued that the cuts that led to the protests make sense forenvironmental reasons. Why should you still support the protests?The motivation behind the cuts was not to promote organic farmingmethods, but to plug the budget gap. Savings on armaments or a kerosenetax would have been climate-friendly. In addition, there are hardly anyalternatives that farmers can turn to. It is precisely small businessesthat bring diversity. If there had been ecological reasons, then thesuggestions from the Borchert Commission and the Future Commission forAgriculture would not have been ignored. Instead, we are observing asteady development of agriculture towards an agricultural industry.Many people, including from other countries, are employed inagriculture, often under precarious conditions. What role do thesepeople and their demands play in the protests?We see that large companies in particular hire seasonal workers who workin terrible conditions. Unfortunately, their interests have hardlyplayed a role so far. In some places there is even sentiment againsttheir rights. The general trend is towards large companies, moreseasonal workers, increasing casualization and increasingly poor workingconditions. We stand in solidarity with all wage earners and would liketo see a clearer commitment to the interests of all seasonal workers!Is it primarily the agricultural companies and not the farm workers whoare taking to the streets?Both sides are currently taking to the streets; employed tractor driversare driving the many tractors into the cities. But it's all about thebusiness perspective and not enough about the interests of employees.That's why we're trying to bring our voice as trade unionists into theprotests and organize ourselves better. However, our situation will notimprove unless the situation of small and medium-sized businesses, whichare massively pushed into self- and external exploitation, alsoimproves; who have to make investments due to the pressure forefficiency and constantly new requirements from politicians, are indebted.How would you summarize your experiences at the protests so far?It is a dynamic event with large local differences in terms ofdemarcation from the right, but also in terms of the composition of theprotesters. We would consider the political orientations to be quitemixed; there are anti-capitalist positions, others are both right andleft. But the presence from the right-wing milieu is definitely noticeable.What further support are you planning?We will get involved where we think it is right, fight for the interestsof our class and show a clear stance against the right! We willdefinitely take part in many more protests. You can also find us onJanuary 20th. to the annual "We're fed up" demo in Berlin!https://direkteaktion.org/wir-versuchen-unsere-stimme-als-gewerkschafterinnen-in-die-proteste-hinein-zu-tragen/_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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