In recent weeks, one topic has come up again and again in connection with the current crisis. In order to cushion the effects of the economic crisis and overcome the shortage of skilled workers, various representatives of the ruling class are calling for the introduction of a 42-hour week.
Prominent voices here are, for example, the president of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Siegfried Russwurm but also the former SPD chairman Sigmar Gabriel. "Wouldn't we rather let people earn more again by working a little longer?" said Gabriel to Bild am Sonntag. He sees Germany now facing a decade of effort, saying "If we want to maintain our prosperity, at least ten years are coming now in which it will be more strenuous than in recent years."
What he means when he speaks of "our" prosperity is clear. He means his prosperity, his existence as an agent of German imperialism, as a parasite on the backs of the working class and oppressed nations. His prosperity is non-existent for the workers, who in his opinion should do three hours more work. He thus places himself in the tradition of his party and makes his contribution to the implementation of a deeply anti-working-class policy.
He is also getting backing from the Confederation of German Employers' Associations. "We all have to roll up our sleeves and make more of an effort to get out of these multiple crises," says their head, Steffen Kampeter, invoking the German Volksgemeinschaft with this "we."
The DGB counters for the moment and board member Anja Piel says "Longer working hours, whether within the week or at the end of working life, are a flimsy attempt to meet the challenges of old-age provision and a shortage of skilled workers on the backs of employees alone - cheap sham solutions without a social compass." Clearly, even the yellow unions have to represent the interests of their members to a certain extent.... After all, the eight-hour day has always been one of the central demands of the labor movement and such a blatant attack on the class cannot simply be accepted. Nevertheless, we must not forget that the unions of the DGB are in the end corporativist tools that serve the bourgeoisie to contain the struggles of the class. These organizations cannot fully represent the interests of the proletariat and will not be able to do so adequately in the face of increasing attacks on us. Thus, in order to fight consistently for our interests, we must create our own organizations.
