The German bourgeoisie continues to implement its plan to soften the 8-hour day. At the beginning, the softening of the 8-hour day in the health sector was justified by the pandemic, and now, according to the wishes of the BDI president, it is to be extended to all sectors due to the shortage of skilled workers.

In times of crisis it is tried to rob the workers of their fought for rights in order to secure the profits of the capitalists. The current economic crisis shows this very well. Again and again exceptions for certain rights are decided first, like the abolition of the 8-hour day in the health sector, afterwards these are to be extended ever further. The advance of BDI president Russwurm is only a small attack, in a big campaign on the rights of the working class. Every crisis of imperialism always means the destruction of values, in this case values of the imperialist bourgeoisie. In order to alleviate the impact of the burden of the crisis on the bourgeoisie, the cost is shifted to the working class. This can only be done by deepening exploitation or developing the productive forces.

Raising the weekly working hours by the bourgeoisie means more exploitation for the working class, because in the end the industrial bosses earn themselves silly through our labor. If they manage to make us work more for their profits they can absorb even more.

The recurring economic crises of imperialism form a vicious circle. New crises mean new attacks against which the working class has to defend itself. This vicious circle can only be broken by a strong trade union that does not make peace with the breadcrumbs of the bourgeoisie but puts the interests of the proletariat first. In times of crisis, this means not only defending existing rights, but also continuing to fight to expand them. If the leadership of the union does not want this, the workers must go over the heads of the leadership.