University Strikes in Leipzig and Across Germany for Better Pay | Education Strike Day

Leipzig. Students and university employees went on strike in numerous cities across the country this Monday (November 20th) – including Leipzig. Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau. With the protest actions they want to campaign for better pay, supported by an alliance of unions and other initiatives.

The motto of the joint university action day is “Stop precarious science”. According to the Education and Science Union (GEW), student and research assistants want to stop working all week. Events were initially planned for Monday in more than 50 cities, including Leipzig, Hamburg, Hanover, Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Berlin.

Rally and play at Augustusplatz in Leipzig

In Leipzig, the strikers want to meet for a rally from 11 a.m. in front of the seminar building on Augustusplatz. As the announcement states, speeches, singing together with the workers’ choir and an “indictment” of illegal tenders are planned. At 1 p.m. the play: “Benjamin Blümchen and the Battle of the Classes” will be performed in the lecture hall building.

Some canteens in Leipzig will also remain closed on Monday. These include the cafeteria on Peterssteinweg, at the clinic and the cafeteria at the cafeteria at the park. There is a limited offer at the other locations, said Uwe Kubaile from the Studentwenwerk Leipzig.

In Dresden, a demonstration is planned at 11 a.m. at Fritz-Foerster-Platz; in Chemnitz, a rally is scheduled to take place at Campusplatz at 12:30 p.m., followed by an “open mic” under the motto “Tell your (scary) story.”

“The work stoppages are taking place as part of the collective bargaining round of the states, in which we are demanding 10.5 percent and at least 500 euros more salary,” explained Saxony’s GEW state chairman Burkhard Naumann. The workers are ready to fight for these demands and take to the streets. “Employers finally have to make a move and present a clear offer,” continued Naumann.

Double warning strikes in Saxon schools

According to GEW, school employees in the Chemnitz and Zwickau regions will also go on strike on Tuesday. Last but not least, next week on November 28th (Tuesday) there will be a nationwide warning strike by all state employees at schools and universities as part of a nationwide “Education Strike Day” organized by the GEW. “We need motivated teachers and a clear signal to keep the public service attractive,” said Naumann

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Canceled lessons in Saxony: Parents have to expect this

How many employees are expected to take part in the warning strikes on Tuesday in Chemnitz and Zwickau and throughout Saxony on November 28th and to what extent lessons will be canceled for the students is still unclear, according to Clemens Arndt, spokesman for the State Office for Education and Schools (LaSuB). But he assures: “Emergency care will take place”. Whether there will be completely school-free days depends on the employee situation on site. Since civil servant teachers are not allowed to strike, they could continue teaching.

The Education and Science Union (GEW) is the educational union in the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB) and represents around 280,000 members of educational institutions nationwide. Students and unemployed educators are also members of the GEW. They will enter the third round of negotiations on December 7th and 8th.

LVZ