The Chairwoman of the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB), Jasmin Fahimi, stated that trade unions are ready for changes and wish to advance the country together, but they do not agree that this should happen at the expense of weakening workers' rights, reducing social security, and undervaluing the labor people have dedicated their lives to.
During an event timed to demand decent work, a strong social state, and a reliable pension, which she delivered in Essen (in the west), Jasmin Fahimi rejected attempts to blame workers for the economic situation, while also criticizing attacks on working hours, healthcare, care, and pension provision. She emphasized that she would not allow what has been built 'over many years in the field of social rights' and 'hard-won' to be taken away.
Fahimi maintained the position that a strong economy is achieved not by cutting social security or increasing the burden on workers, but through investments, innovations, the creation of good jobs, and decent wages that guarantee purchasing power.
The union figure criticized demands for flexibility and the extension of the eight-hour workday, noting that many workers are already under pressure to earn income, forced to work shifts and weekends, and constantly remain on standby.
She stated: 'Whoever weakens the working time law does not make labor more productive. It makes it more harmful to health.'
Furthermore, Jasmin Fahimi stressed that social security is not a gift, but an achievement won through the efforts of workers. She warned that those who cut contributions and reduce benefits are shifting costs onto insured persons.
'Our social security is not a safe that the Government can rob when it lacks funds. It is our money. It is our right. We won it with our own efforts,' she warned.
Regarding healthcare and care, Fahimi demanded solidarity financing and the provision of care services located close to the place of residence, with good working conditions and wages corresponding to the collective agreement.
Fahimi also advocated for maintaining pensions without cuts after 45 years of contributions, even if the retirement age has not yet been reached; previously, this allowed insured persons with long service to stop working at age 63.
According to the DGB, 17 thousand people participated in the rallies and demonstrations organized in Berlin, Bremen, Erfurt, Essen, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Hamburg, Hannover, Kiel, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Nuremberg, Rostock, Saarbrücken, and Stuttgart.
Many provisions of the reforms announced by the coalition government of conservatives and social democrats are being rejected by broad segments of the population, which expressed its dissatisfaction in recent regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Berlin. In these elections, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Chancellor Friedrich Merz suffered a sharp decline and did not even make it into the regional parliament.
After the elections, the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) confirmed its loyalty to the government coalition and supported the necessity of reforms, although it emphasized that they must be fair and have popular support.
SPD co-chair and Minister of Labour, Barbara Haas, stated that the reforms must undergo 'a real assessment, on the one hand, and above all, an assessment from the point of view of fairness.' At the same time, the leader of the social democrats and Finance Minister, Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, stated that 'the content of the reforms' must improve in both aspects.