Strikes in Germany seem to gain greater visibility, with the frequency of mobilizations causing a strong discussion in the German media. However, statistics present a different reality: The average worker strikes just 10 minutes a year.

Strike mobilizations and their actual dimension

Characteristic was the recent strike in Ford Cologne, which broke out due to massive job cuts and was characterized by several journalists as ‘Historical strike’ For the American car industry colossus. According to figures cited by the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper, the cost for Ford amounted to 3 to 5 million euros, as confirmed by Benjamin Gruska, head of the General Workers’ Council.

It is noteworthy that strikes, such as that of Ford and other major companies or the insurance industry, often coincide with corporate anniversaries and are organized in collaboration with the Ver.Di., providing information to citizens mainly in central areas of large cities.

German media intensify their interest in mobilizations, but public debate is basically starting when critical services are affected, such as transportation or guarding children, especially during holidays. Some politicians take advantage of such circumstances by setting a matter ‘Restriction of the right to strike’ for reasons of economic stability.

What do the official items show?

The recent report by the Hans-Böckler-Stiftung Foundation, which acts under the auspices of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB), gives a different perspective: despite the slight rise of strike activity after 2022-the year’s inflation ejecting due to the war in Ukraine-the average strike number remains.

Mobilizations in the majority of cases are included in the context collective bargaining and do not substantially disturb socio -economic cohesion. Pressure within these framework works positively, as workers have managed to reduce purchasing power losses due to accuracy. Germany, along with the Netherlands, is only located in the middle of the European “scale” strike: Analogs corresponds to 21 lost business days per year per 1,000 workers – much less than countries such as Belgium and France.

At an individual level, this means that The average German worker strike just 10 minutes a year. In comparison, in Belgium and France, up to five times more lost working days are recorded due to strikes.

Study experts reject the allegations of “excessive” strike action in Germany: discussions about limiting the constitutional right of the strike are not based on real facts.

The historical dimension of strikes in Ford

It is worth pointing out that the intensity of this year’s strike in Ford is not an isolated historical phenomenon: in 1973, one of the most important strikes in modern German history began again in Ford Cologne, then as one “wormwood” mobilization without the official trade union coverage. Protagonists were Gastarbeiterforeign workers who wrote their own capital in business history – often separately from official celebrations and recordings.

Sources: Süddeutsche Zeitung, Tagesspiegel, Express, Ver.Di, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung