Political pressure from the US is likely to have been the trigger for GLS Bank and Sparkasse Göttingen closing the accounts of the left-wing solidarity organization Rote Hilfe in mid-December. The background to this is that the US government has classified the group, also referred to in the media as “Antifa Ost,” as a terrorist organization and placed it on a sanctions list. Rote Hilfe shows solidarity with anti-fascists who are being persecuted and imprisoned in connection with the so-called “Antifa Ost.” Apparently, the banks saw this as a risk and therefore decided to terminate their business relationships in order to avoid possible sanctions from the US against themselves.
At a time when cohesion and solidarity are more important than ever, we want to fortify ourselves with hot drinks, cocoa, cookies, and vegan waffles and support each other. There are no profit motives here, just space for joint action and thinking.
Drop by whenever you like and let's overcome winter and social coldness together. Everything is donation-based.
We are stronger together – we are looking forward to seeing you!
Over the past few months, we have raised €20,000, with a large portion of this sum being covered by the International Confederation of Labor (ICL-CIT).
This action is part of a broader campaign for better sanitary facilities, free menstrual products in factories, and the right to take paid sick leave during menstruation. Factory owners and clothing brands are being specifically confronted, and we have already achieved initial successes.
Together with FGWM, we were able to put enough pressure on the factory management and Hunkemöller at the Hang Kei factory to provide the workers with free menstrual products.
"Fabiu is a sturdy guy with a raspy voice and a challenging look. He works as a mason and has been living in Germany for almost ten years. 'Slavery' is the first word that comes to mind when he’s asked about his work here. 'Shit' is the second.", (1, Paragraph 5)
"I have a question: Isn’t the course of these things being left unchecked because Germany needs workers who are paid little or not at all? And then I wonder if this isn’t a disguised and controlled form of slavery." Elvis Iancu, April 2015, Mall of Shame (2, p. 27)
Introduction
The proportion of helpers on construction sites has risen sharply in recent years. This is not happening because the work on construction sites has become much easier or more automated, and largely consists of helper tasks (3).1No, skilled workers are classified as helpers in order to reduce their wages. This practice is primarily used by subcontractors for migrant workers, who often have less knowledge of the German legal system and sometimes lack secure residency status. As a result, they are even more vulnerable to exploitation2 .
For almost six weeks, management refused to negotiate with its colleagues at the Jeremias plant in Giezno. While the Wassertrüdingen site was pretending to be all sunshine and roses with a family celebration, the company was not ashamed to use prisoners to break the strike, hired an American law firm known for its anti-union practices, fired union members and labour inspectors, and declared the union’s demands and the strike illegal. The company ignored local court rulings, labor inspections, and the opinions of the Polish Ministry of Labor.
For the past few months we managed to raise 20 000 Euros, a big share of this sum was covered by the International Confederation of Labour (ICL-CIT). For 10 000 Euros, the FGWM already ordered pads and started distributing inside factories them: 5 packages each to 5 000 workers in total. It was the FGWM who approached us with this idea in the first place and asked the FAU/ICL to support their actions.
FAU Bremen has been active since July 12, 2025, as a local section of FAU Hannover, advocating for the rights of workers in Bremen and the surrounding areas. As an independent grassroots union, they pursue a solidarity-based and direct approach to labor rights. They are part of the nationwide union federation FAU, fighting for better working conditions, more participation, and against exploitation.
If you’re interested in organizing and getting active, feel free to contact them at fauhb-kontakt@fau.org. Join, get involved, and help shape the change!
In Panama streiken seit über zwei Monaten verschiedene Gewerkschaften und Arbeiter*innen von Chiquita gegen eine geplante Rentenreform. Tausende Mitarbeiter*innen wurden daraufhin vom Konzern entlassen.
Die Regierung Panamas hat in der betroffenen Provinz Bocas del Toro wegen der anhaltenden Proteste der Arbeiter*innen den Ausnahmezustand verhängt, was empfindliche Einschränkungen der Versammlungs- und Bewegungsfreiheit zur Folge hat.
Hinrich Schultze wird das Land vorstellen und von den aktuellen Kämpfen am 25.07.25 einen Vortrag in der schwarzen Katze berichten.
Der Vortrag beginnt um 20:00 Uhr
Einlass ist ab 19:00 Uhr, es wird eine Küfa geben.
Solidarität mit dem Streik der polnischen Kolleg* innen unserer Schwestergewerkschaft Inicjatywa Pracownicza (IP) in der Firma Jeremias in Gniezno! Seit dem 3. Juni streiken 80% der Produktionsarbeiter*innen in dem 300 Beschäftigten zählenden Werk. Sie kämpfen für 180 Euro monatliche Lohnerhöhung, längere bezahlte Pausen und dass die Überstunden nach einem Monat ausbezahlt werden, nicht erst nach einem Jahr.
Die deutsche Muttergesellschaft Jeremias Abgastechnik GmbH mit Sitz in Wassertrüdingen, Bayern hat ihren Umsatz zwischen 2015 und 2023 von 64 auf 210 Millionen Euro mehr als verdreifacht. Der fünfköpfige Vorstand der polnischen Tochterfirma zahlte sich selbst in 2024 über 1,8 Millionen Złoty (eine knappe halbe Million in Euro) aus. Gleichzeitig sollen die polnischen Arbeiter*innen mit Löhnen unter Branchendurchschnitt die Gewinne erwirtschaften. Das Unternehmen kassiert sogar staatliche Beihilfen für Gefangenenarbeit.
Der Arbeitskonflikt dauert bereits über acht Monate und mündete am 3.6. nach erfolgreicher Urabstimmung in den jetzigen Streik. Die Geschäftsführung hat zwei Gewerkschafter der IP entlassen und versucht die Streikenden in einem Lagerhaus ohne Wasserzugang zu isolieren. Sie droht mit Produktionsverlagerung und hat die US-Anwaltskanzlei Littler beauftragt, die Rechtmäßigkeit des Streiks anzufechten.
Die Kolleg_innen arbeiten unter schwierigen und gefährlichen Bedingungen mit schweren Metallteilen und schädlichen Chemikalien. Die schlechten Arbeitsbedingungen in Polen drücken auch die Standards in Deutschland. Deshalb rufen wir als FAU und IP besonders die deutschen Kolleg*innen im Stammwerk Wassertrüdingen auf: Lasst euch nicht als Streikbrecher missbrauchen! Der Streik in Gniezno ist auch im Interesse der Beschäftigten in Wassertrüdingen.
Solidarity Forever! Solidarność na zawsze! FAU Hamburg
Workers Consultation
Are you not getting what you deserve? Are you being treated unfairly at work?
Together, we can change that!
The radical union
The FAU Hamburg is an independent grassroots union. It is nationally organized in the workers union federation of FAU. Join us, get involved, take action!
