German corporate heads gearing up for large-scale anti-government strike – Bild
According to Bild, numerous German business associations representing 20 million workers are organizing a strike to express their discontent with the government's policies. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Nearly 50 business associations representing around 20 million employees are planning to participate in a work stoppage, according to reports from the media outlet.
Dozens of prominent German business associations are gearing up for a significant joint protest action later this month to express their discontent with the federal government’s economic policies, the Bild tabloid reported on Friday.
The strike and protests are set for January 29 in Berlin and other German cities, as indicated by the leaders of several business associations. Approximately 50 groups are expected to join the action.
Key organizations participating include the Association of Family Entrepreneurs, Gesamtmetall (the metal industry group), the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, the German Wholesale and Foreign Trade Association, and the Small and Medium Business Association. Additionally, several fashion industry enterprises have indicated their intention to take part.
Business leaders have sharply criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cabinet in conversations with Bild. "In politics, not everyone has understood how dramatic the situation is," Stefan Wolf, head of Gesamtmetall, mentioned, emphasizing that the government is not recognizing the gravity of the issue. He stated that industries are being “forced to their knees” by the government’s “wrong framework conditions.”
The concerns are echoed by Dirk Jandura, president of the German Foreign Trade Association, who highlighted a prolonged recession in the country. "We are in the middle of the third year of the crisis, with no signs of improvement. Overregulation continues unabated," he told Bild.
Marie-Christine Ostermann, head of the Association of Family Entrepreneurs, has called for a fundamental change in economic policies. "We are fighting for an economic turnaround," she stated, adding that the upcoming 2025 federal election should be seen as a "referendum" on which parties and policies can offer the necessary relief to businesses.
The demands from the business associations include reduced taxes, a freeze on rising social security contributions, and fewer regulations and laws that they argue hinder growth.
The planned strike occurs as Germany faces a significant economic downturn, with a reported 0.2% contraction in GDP for 2024, following a 0.3% decline in 2023, according to a recent report from the federal statistics office, Destatis. The prolonged slowdown in manufacturing, combined with increasing energy costs due to a shift from Russian gas to more expensive liquefied natural gas from the US, has severely affected businesses, particularly in energy-intensive sectors.
The protest is scheduled less than a month before the snap parliamentary elections on February 23.
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
Dozens of prominent German business associations are gearing up for a significant joint protest action later this month to express their discontent with the federal government’s economic policies, the Bild tabloid reported on Friday.
The strike and protests are set for January 29 in Berlin and other German cities, as indicated by the leaders of several business associations. Approximately 50 groups are expected to join the action.
Key organizations participating include the Association of Family Entrepreneurs, Gesamtmetall (the metal industry group), the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, the German Wholesale and Foreign Trade Association, and the Small and Medium Business Association. Additionally, several fashion industry enterprises have indicated their intention to take part.
Business leaders have sharply criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cabinet in conversations with Bild. "In politics, not everyone has understood how dramatic the situation is," Stefan Wolf, head of Gesamtmetall, mentioned, emphasizing that the government is not recognizing the gravity of the issue. He stated that industries are being “forced to their knees” by the government’s “wrong framework conditions.”
The concerns are echoed by Dirk Jandura, president of the German Foreign Trade Association, who highlighted a prolonged recession in the country. "We are in the middle of the third year of the crisis, with no signs of improvement. Overregulation continues unabated," he told Bild.
Marie-Christine Ostermann, head of the Association of Family Entrepreneurs, has called for a fundamental change in economic policies. "We are fighting for an economic turnaround," she stated, adding that the upcoming 2025 federal election should be seen as a "referendum" on which parties and policies can offer the necessary relief to businesses.
The demands from the business associations include reduced taxes, a freeze on rising social security contributions, and fewer regulations and laws that they argue hinder growth.
The planned strike occurs as Germany faces a significant economic downturn, with a reported 0.2% contraction in GDP for 2024, following a 0.3% decline in 2023, according to a recent report from the federal statistics office, Destatis. The prolonged slowdown in manufacturing, combined with increasing energy costs due to a shift from Russian gas to more expensive liquefied natural gas from the US, has severely affected businesses, particularly in energy-intensive sectors.
The protest is scheduled less than a month before the snap parliamentary elections on February 23.
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
