A-Infos (en) Germany, FAU, direkte aktion: BRINGING UNION VOICES INTO THE PROTESTS (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Sofie Legutke is part of the Green Trades initiative in the grassroots 
trade union Free Workers' Union (FAU), which has taken part in the 
farmers' protests in recent days. Peter Nowak spoke to her. ---- Why do 
you support the farmers' protests? ----- Because we are agricultural 
workers ourselves and know the plight of small and medium-sized farms. 
It's no longer just about agricultural diesel. It's about a policy that 
has been harming farms for decades, exploiting seasonal workers and 
promoting the agricultural industry and non-agricultural investors.
What exactly did this support look like in the last few days?
We went to various protests across Germany to show solidarity with 
colleagues and bring our concerns closer to people in the city. But also 
to show a clear stance against attempts at right-wing appropriation and 
to express our displeasure when conservative forces want to encourage 
those affected to "step down".

Many media outlets emphasize that right-wing groups are also taking part 
in the protests. Did you notice anything about it?

Yes, we could observe that in some places. In Saxony, for example, it is 
the "Free Saxons" who are trying to take over the protests, but their 
protests had little to do with agriculture. It varies greatly locally as 
to whether right-wing appropriation is successful; fortunately, many 
people clearly distance themselves.

It is often argued that the cuts that led to the protests make sense for 
environmental reasons. Why should you still support the protests?

The motivation behind the cuts was not to promote organic farming 
methods, but to plug the budget gap. Savings on armaments or a kerosene 
tax would have been climate-friendly. In addition, there are hardly any 
alternatives that farmers can turn to. It is precisely small businesses 
that bring diversity. If there had been ecological reasons, then the 
suggestions from the Borchert Commission and the Future Commission for 
Agriculture would not have been ignored. Instead, we are observing a 
steady development of agriculture towards an agricultural industry.

Many people, including from other countries, are employed in 
agriculture, often under precarious conditions. What role do these 
people and their demands play in the protests?

We see that large companies in particular hire seasonal workers who work 
in terrible conditions. Unfortunately, their interests have hardly 
played a role so far. In some places there is even sentiment against 
their rights. The general trend is towards large companies, more 
seasonal workers, increasing casualization and increasingly poor working 
conditions. We stand in solidarity with all wage earners and would like 
to see a clearer commitment to the interests of all seasonal workers!

Is it primarily the agricultural companies and not the farm workers who 
are taking to the streets?

Both sides are currently taking to the streets; employed tractor drivers 
are driving the many tractors into the cities. But it's all about the 
business perspective and not enough about the interests of employees. 
That's why we're trying to bring our voice as trade unionists into the 
protests and organize ourselves better. However, our situation will not 
improve unless the situation of small and medium-sized businesses, which 
are massively pushed into self- and external exploitation, also 
improves; who have to make investments due to the pressure for 
efficiency and constantly new requirements from politicians, are indebted.

How would you summarize your experiences at the protests so far?

It is a dynamic event with large local differences in terms of 
demarcation from the right, but also in terms of the composition of the 
protesters. We would consider the political orientations to be quite 
mixed; there are anti-capitalist positions, others are both right and 
left. But the presence from the right-wing milieu is definitely noticeable.

What further support are you planning?

We will get involved where we think it is right, fight for the interests 
of our class and show a clear stance against the right! We will 
definitely take part in many more protests. You can also find us on 
January 20th. to the annual "We're fed up" demo in Berlin!

https://direkteaktion.org/wir-versuchen-unsere-stimme-als-gewerkschafterinnen-in-die-proteste-hinein-zu-tragen/
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