Germany

Grand coalition against workers

GERMANY’S GENERAL election on 18 September saw a defeat for both of
the so-called big peoples’ parties (the social democratic SPD and the
conservative CDU/CSU).

Sascha Stanicic, Socialist Alternative, Berlin

For the first time since 1953 their share of the vote fell below 70%
as the SPD and CDU/CSU lost 2,294,000 and 1,851,500 votes respectively.
This was a rejection by many of the working class and unemployed of the
neo-liberal and anti-working class policies for which both parties
stand.

The electoral bloc of the Left Party (the renamed PDS) and the newly
formed WASG (Electoral Alliance Work and Social Justice) scored a big
success with 4,118,000 votes, 8.7% of the vote and sent 54 MPs into the
Bundestag.

The losers have now agreed to form a grand coalition government under
the conservative Angela Merkel, the first female chancellor in Germany’s
history. Both parties will have few problems in finding an agreement on
the government’s policies. In fact, many major decisions of the last
social democratic and green government (especially the massive attacks
on the social security system called Agenda 2010 and Hartz IV), were
supported by the conservative CDU/CSU.

Left pressure

Under the pressure of the mass protest movements of 2003 and 2004
against the destruction of the so-called welfare state, and the
emergence of the WASG as a new political alternative on the left, the
SPD put on a more left-wing cover in their election campaign. They
hypocritically called for the defence of some workers’ rights – which
Merkel announced she would scrap if there was an election victory for
the CDU/CSU and its first choice coalition partner the liberal FDP.

The SPD is now trying to gain a ‘social’ profile by claiming that
they secured agreement in the negotiations with the CDU/CSU over the
launching of the Grand Coalition so that the collective bargaining
legislation will not be changed and that bonus payments for night and
weekend shifts will remain untaxed.

This is, however, not due to a change in the SPD’s policy but due to
the clear signal of the election result: no more cuts in social services
and workers’ rights! The mood amongst workers and the pressure from
below led even right-wing trade union leaders to threaten illegal
political strikes in case of a change in collective bargaining
legislation.

But this government will be a government of anti-working class
policies. It is likely that the legal safeguards against redundancies
will be worsened and the coalition agreement includes a call on the
trade unions to accept more company-based wage and working hour
agreements, which effectively means an undermining of industry wide
collective bargaining.

Bosses’ offensive

Ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schršder had previously threatened to change
the legislation if the trade unions did not accept a "companyisation"
of wage and working hour agreements. Also, a new austerity programme is
likely with further attacks on the social security system.

This goes hand-in-hand with an ongoing offensive by the capitalists
in the workplaces. Mercedes, Siemens, AEG, VW and many other companies
have announced big job reductions. Wages and working hours are attacked
as well.

But the election result means a strengthening of the Left and a
motivation for activists in the trade unions and social movements. It is
the task of the new left-wing faction in parliament to use its positions
and resources to build a strong movement against this capitalist
government and support workers’ struggles. On that basis a new mass
socialist party of the German working class can be built.

Strong Left wing

However, the reformist policies of the national Left leaders like
Lafontaine and Gysi (along with the participation of the Left Party/PDS
in regional governments which implement social cuts and privatisation),
makes this uncertain. It is therefore necessary to build a strong
socialist force in the process of building a new left-wing party in
Germany.

The possiblility of organising a fightback, if a lead is given, is
shown by the striking university hospital workers in southern Germany.
Thousands have taken strike action recently in defence of their wages
and working hours in a sector which has no tradition of struggle.

The new government will be a government of instability and crisis and
it is an open question as to whether it will last its four year term. It
will be confronted with a new and strong left-wing opposition in
parliament and resistance against attacks by the working class.