Germany
Germany: Closure of Quelle mail order business costs 7,000 jobs
By Peter Schwarz, October 23, 2009
Three weeks after the federal election, Germany’s best known mail order company is being closed down with the loss of 7,000 jobs.
Germany: Armed Forces memorial unveiled in Berlin
By Bernd Reinhardt, October 22, 2009
Leading political and military circles in Germany are conducting a systematic campaign to revive militarism.
German Greens to form coalition with CDU and FDP in Saarland
By Ludwig Weller, October 20, 2009
The German Green Party has decided to form a coalition with the conservative Christian Democratic Union and the free-market Free Democratic Party in Saarland
Berlin state constitutional court rules against Senate ban on referendums
By Emma Bode, October 19, 2009
The Berlin state constitutional court has issued verdicts that declare as unconstitutional attempts by the Berlin Senate to suppress popular referendums.
Class justice in Germany: banker wins €1.5 million redundancy judgement
By Stefan Steinberg, October 17, 2009
A German banker who bears much of the responsibility for the record losses made by the Dresdner Bank in 2008 has won his case for a €1.5 million redundancy payment.
The German Left Party and Berlin’s austerity budget
By Andy Niklaus, October 16, 2009
The Left Party has played a crucial role in the social decline of the German capital city of Berlin.
Solidarity meetings in Germany for dismissed shop worker
An interview with Emmely
By Marius Hauser, October 15, 2009
Last weekend a series of solidarity meetings were held across Germany for the shop worker Emmely, who was sacked for allegedly pocketing bottle coupons with a value of €1.30.
The racist outburst of German Federal Bank executive member Thilo Sarrazin
By Justus Leicht, October 13, 2009
Using language usually associated with far-right parties, Federal Bank executive committee member Thilo Sarrazin (of the Social Democratic Party) denounced the most vulnerable layers of society.
German unions agree to mass layoffs in printing machine industry
By Gustav Kemper, October 13, 2009
German trade unions are playing a key role in the destruction of thousands of jobs at the world largest manufacturers of printing presses, Heidelberg Printmachine AG (HDM) and Manroland.
Opel/Vauxhall takeover by Magna
Unions play off workers against one another
By Dietmar Henning, October 8, 2009
The German unions are doing everything to ensure the contract is finalised between Opel, Vauxhall, GM and Magna, while haggling has begun between the unions represented at the various European locatio...
The new leadership of the German Social Democratic Party
Opportunists, lobbyists, careerists
By Ulrich Rippert, October 7, 2009
The latest change of leadership in the SPD has already made clear that the party is reacting to its recent defeat at the polls by maintaining its right-wing course.
Germany: The role of the Free Democratic Party in the next government
By Dietmar Henning, October 5, 2009
On Monday October 5, just one week after Germany’s federal elections, the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) begin talks in Berlin with the neo-liberal Free Democratic P...
