Unions demand peace: no upgrading for Germany!

Unions demand peace: no upgrading for Germany!

At the trade union conference "Win peace, not the war!" In Salzgitter, which took place on July 11th and 12th, a clear sign was set against military armament. Over 225 trade unionists and around 1,000 other participants followed the event in the live stream. This conference was organized by the Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation together with the IG Metall Salzgitter-Peine, whereby well-known representatives of Belgian unions as well as Bundestag and European Parliament MPs were also present. The opening by Ulrike Eifler made it clear that the unions must be active part of the peace movement.

Matthias Wilhelm, the 1st agent of IG Metall Salzgitter-Peine, criticized the armaments financing and described the situation in Palestine as a genocide. He made it clear that a socially partnership-based upgrade policy was not possible and referred to an application against the upgrade from 2022. Dierk Hirschel, chief economist at ver.di, pointed out in his analysis that the 100-billion euro assets had largely flowed to large armor groups. According to Hirschel, the social infrastructure in Germany damages to invest such money in military projects and is unproductive in the long term.

The demands of the unions

The conference was also a place of reflection on the growing militarization, especially in education. A youth podium addressed the effects of war propaganda at schools and universities. The resistance of the migrant youth for the freedom of Palestine, represented by Yusuf as from the Didf youth, was also discussed. This shows that the peace movement is divided, with different views between the younger and older generations. The joint call was clear: peace can only be achieved through resistance to social reduction, job cuts, militarization and war.

a new order of peace

The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) also actively contributes and calls for a peace and security regulations based on the principles of the United Nations. This would make it possible to solve conflicts through diplomacy and crisis prevention. After all, a record number of armed conflicts worldwide is expected for 2025, with devastating human losses.

The DGB considers it essential that the increase in armor expenditure does not take the expense of the social budget or education and research. The state's money should always serve the well -being of people and not military purposes. Therefore, a solid commitment to the basic values of liberal democracy and the social market economy is required. International politics, shaped by the competition between the great powers, requires a rethink that focuses on peaceful coexistence.

Overall, the trade union conference shows that there is a departure in the unions, signaling courage and determination in times of upgrade. Peace and social justice have to go hand in hand. The unions have the word and it is time to listen to political decision -makers.

For more information on the topic, please see [yeni hayat] (https://yenihayat.de/gäwerkschafter-stellen-stellen- against- Kriegskurs/), [unions against upgrade] (https://gägerkschafts- against-ufruestung.de/argmentationpapier/) and the [DGB] (https://www.dgb.de/aktuelles/news/fuer-ein-politik-der-friedensfaehinkeit-nie-wieder-krieg-in-deutschland-europa-und-und-und-und-und-