Unions in the peace fight: Conference in Salzgitter demands action!

Unions in the peace fight: Conference in Salzgitter demands action!

Salzgitter, Deutschland - On July 10, 2025, the nationwide trade union conference for peace will take place in Salzgitter, which is organized by the Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation (RLS). This conference is the third of its kind, after the events in Hanau 2023 and Stuttgart. Why Salzgitter? Here the local administrative office has established a politically active trade union work that offers the framework for the current discussion. Around 200 participants have already registered, plus online viewers who are also interested in the topic.

The last conferences have put their fingers in the wound: participants demanded more active measures against the ongoing upgrade and the associated social grievances. The armaments and defense spending increase, while areas such as education and health are underfunded. The suspicion arises that the upgrade not only draws a military but also an economic conclusion from the industrial crisis.

critical voices and diverse discussions

A colorful mix of speakers will accompany the participants in Salzgitter through the two -day conference. Ralf Stegner, from the left, will appear as a prominent speaker and give additional weight. The conference offers various panel discussions and lectures, including the "turnaround" in the global balance of power, which have an economic and political effect. The militarization of the healthcare system and educational institutions are also discussed.

• Friday:
  • 1:00 p.m.: Registration
  • 2:15 p.m.: Opening and lectures
  • 6:30 p.m.: Discussions about the role of youth against currently flowering conflicts
• Saturday:
  • 09:15 a.m.: Discussion round on upgrade and social topics
  • 2:00 p.m.: Discussion about resistance to atomic upgrading

The RLS has also made it clear that it condemns the conflict between Israel and Hamas, whereby it assesses Israel's procedure as violating international law. At the same time, there are different perspectives regarding the Ukraine War within the RLS; The foundation relies on diplomatic solutions. The approval of the state associations of the party DIE LINKE is also critical to change the Basic Law, which should enable upgrading billions.

a long tradition

The peace movement in Germany has a deeply rooted story that goes back to the 1980s, and has never lost relevance since then. There are always misunderstandings about the goals of the movement - while NATO and Bundeswehr represent their missions as peacekeeping, the peace movement sees it differently. Your goal is to organize social protest against military upgrading and to discuss alternative approaches.

The commitment to peace and disarmament is also underlined by the large number of topics that will be discussed in Salzgitter. The unions and various social actors are called to get involved in the broader movement. The question of peace remains a central concern of trade union work and other social movements.

This conference could be another step to combine the voices of those who stand up for a peaceful and just society. The upcoming discussions promise to become lively and necessary, especially in times when the tones upgrading rhetoric become louder. Together we have to find out what a common action against war and militarization can look like.

For more information about the conference, interested parties can read the detailed process on the RLS website: Rosa-Luxemburg-Foundation . The further topics of the peace movement can also be followed on the platform of the BPB: bpb.de . For a current overview of the situation of the peace movement, the Junge Welt to speak.