In Germany, things are not good for those who have to earn their living with their own manual and mental labour. Real wages are falling or stagnating, working conditions are catastrophic in many professions and wages are often just enough to make ends meet. At the same time, the level of organisation is low. The trade unions have lost millions of members over the decades - not without their own fault. Strikes often remain symbolic, workers in the DGB trade unions are seen more as voting cattle and membership fee payers than as the real historical power that they are.

At the same time, the DGB trade unions - like all ‘left-wing’ parties - have abandoned the goal of fundamental social change. They have come to terms with capitalism and fight, if at all, for a few crumbs from the rich man's table.

We founded the Initiative of Workers’ Struggle Berlin (IKA Berlin) gegründet on the basis of the realisation that workers in this country aren’t given anything for free. We don't just get wages that are enough to live on, job security and enough time off to regenerate. Rather, these things must be enforced against the government and employers.

But: although we think that it makes sense to fight for small improvements here and now - and in and with the DGB trade unions – in the long run, we are joining forces knowing that capitalism is ultimately not a solution for workers. Today's society is based on exploitation. The few who own capital increase it on the backs of the many who have to work for their survival. The working people always pay the bill, regardless of the outcome of this or that struggle for a few percent more pay in the wage agreement.

Our commitment is based around the following principles:

1. We stand for solidarity between workers across sectors and trades. An attack on one colleague is an attack on all - regardless of the company in which it takes place. In this context, we also reject the legal restrictions on solidarity/support strikes that still exist in Germany.
2. In der IkA Participation in the IKA is open to all workers and apprentices. All others can support our work financially from outside, take part in rallies and demonstrations etc., but cannot become voting members.
3. As workers we support striking workforces from the ‘outside’, i.e. through educational work in the neighbourhood, logistical support for pickets, solidarity demonstrations and press work. Where we can, we offer legal advice (e.g. when setting up workers councils).
4. We work in and with trade unions, but we take a critical view of their links to bourgeois parties such as the SPD or the Greens. We also disagree with the political line of these unions, which are neither consistently in favour of peace nor in favour of system change.
5. We combine in-house support services in the context of labour disputes with leisure– and educational activities for workers and apprentices in order to raise awareness of our situation in this society.
6. We advocate for the right to ‘political strike’, which is still considered illegal in Germany based on the ruling of a Nazi labour judge. In our understanding, however, workers share common interests beyond the workplace and should be able to express them through any means of industrial action.
7. We are workers, that is our common ‘identity’ across other divisions. What gender or origin someone has is irrelevant and we oppose any attempt to divide the working class along these lines.
   
   Racism and sexism have the function of justifying the systematic underpayment of female or migrant labour. We refuse to punch down against our colleagues. Workers who reproduce such attitudes ultimately harm their own interests. Racism, sexism and nationalism serve those in power by distracting from the real underlying conflict in this society.
8. We want a long-term union of colleagues that is not tied to the economic cycle of individual wage disputes. The IKA Berlin should be a place where workers can come together, support each other and exchange ideas.
9. Through Educational Programmes we are working towards the goal of conveying the insight that a fundamental change in society is necessary to assert the interests of the majority of the population. Society as a whole must own the material basis of its production and reproduction - and not corporations, financial investors or banks. This is the only way to build a society in which everyone can contribute their labour according to their abilities and share in the wealth produced.

We want a society in which labour is the only legitimate source of income and in which no one can exploit the labour of others. This society is called socialism.

So let’s put an end to exploitation and fight together!

If you would like to join us or are looking for support, write to us via our contact form or talk to us at one of our actions!

Out for the class struggle!