PRESS STATEMENT “This is a matter of fairness”

On May 16, the bargaining committees of the metal and electrical industries from across eastern Germany met jointly for the first time in Berlin. Shortly before the fourth round of talks on harmonizing working hours in eastern Germany on May 21, the clear message was: “Our flexible and high-quality work requires a 35-hour workweek!” The solidarity among eastern German workforces was evident during a week of workplace actions from May 6 to 11, featuring a variety of activities both inside and outside the factory gates.

Jörg Hofmann: “The Wall fell 30 years ago. Yet differences between East and West still persist, including in collective bargaining agreements. No one understands this anymore, and it is rightly viewed as an injustice. There is no justification for these differences, certainly not in terms of productivity and efficiency. Young people, in particular, are demanding in no uncertain terms that working hours finally be harmonized. This is a matter of justice.”

For the Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony District

To the Lower Saxony/Saxony-Anhalt District

To the Central District