Labor Organizing in Germany

Labor Organizing in Germany

Join NYC's IWW [1] in welcoming German IWW organizer Elmar Wigand, who will give a brief introduction to the German labor movement followed by a talk about how the German IWW has helped to organize staff at the world’s largest catering company, Eurest/Compass Group.

Wed, Sept 9 @ 7pm
Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen St, NYC

Contact: NYC IWW, PO Box 7430, JAF Station, New York, NY 10116. Stephanie: 201-787-6035. www.iww.org [2] // www.wobblycity.org [3] // wobblycity@yahoo.com [4]

Event Description:
Statistically, the German labor movement seems to be one of the best organized in the world. In reality, the mainstream of German workers have been asleep for decades by a corporative system, professional unions and high wages. Since 2005, class struggle has returned to the biggest economy in Europe – largely in response to massive attacks on minimum wage, social security (the dole), and workplace culture (mobbing, burn out).

One focus of the German IWW is organizing catering and kitchen staff at the world’s largest catering company, Eurest/Compass Group. It all began when a shop steward in Frankfurt joined the IWW.

Elmar Wigand is a screen-play writer and journalist from Cologne, Germany. In March 2008 he organized a conference on "Injustice at work in Germany" (Arbeits-Unrecht), where unionists, lawyers, publishers, academics and rank-and-file activists met and discussed.