Cologne’s swimming pool operator, Köln-Bäder GmbH, a subsidiary of Cologne’s council’s municipal services provider, Stadtwerke-Köln GmbH, has filed a motion for the extraordinary termination of employment of works council member, Martin Löber. The reason given for this termination is alleged working-hour fraud. Experts from ver.di (the public sector union) who have reviewed the case have stated that this incident does not even warrant a discussion. Various claims made in the justification for the termination have been proven false, as evidence has already shown. There is a strong suspicion that the grounds for the termination have been fabricated.
For Martin, the termination is yet another attempt by his employer to get rid of him. He has already been suspended twice during previous conflicts. As a member of ver.di, Die Linke, and Sol (Socialist Organisation Solidarity, German section of the Committee for a Workers’ International), Martin is a combative employee representative who fights for the interests of the workforce to the very end. Martin is involved not only within his own workplace but also in labour disputes at other companies, actively putting his experience and solidarity to use. For example, Martin was active for months and organized support for the workers involved in the labour dispute at the Neven-DuMont Group, the cold lockout at the printing plant that ultimately led to the closure of the business, and the struggle at the Bundesanzeiger government gazette.
The background to the current dismissal attempt is a deliberate act of malice by the management of Köln-Bäder. The workers’ paid breaks are to be eliminated. Paid breaks have been part of the working conditions at Köln-Bäder for a good reason. Given the demands of running the public baths, employees often have no opportunity to take their breaks properly. All too often, these “breaks” consist of having to wolf down a sandwich while working or arranging a trip to the restroom by having a colleague from another department cover for them. Real breaks look different. Martin fought within the works council and among the workforce to organize resistance against this measure, thereby once again making himself a target of management.
Consequences
For Martin, the termination is a heavy blow. He is highly qualified in his profession as a certified master technician for public swimming facilities and has been employed by Köln-Bäder for more than twenty years. Köln-Bäder effectively holds a monopoly in this city of over a million people. This will make it nearly impossible for Martin to find a comparable position in his field without having to accept significant commuting times or even a change of residence. In practice, a massive reduction in his income, his pension entitlements, and his quality of life would be virtually unavoidable in the event of termination.
Solidarity
In its press release, his union, ver.di, refers to this as “union-busting.” Amid the general cutback frenzy of the neoliberal offensive that is underway in Germany, the public sector is now abandoning the long-standing “social partnership” between employers and employees. This shows that the “social partnership” does not defend living standards when the ruling class launches an offensive against living standards. ver.di has acted swiftly and stands in solidarity with Martin. This is not just about Martin alone. The aim here is to make an example of him to set a new tone for the future. At Köln-Bäder, the attempt to get rid of Martin is not the first instance in which unwelcome works council members or union representatives have been forced out of the company. This is certainly known to have happened to at least one union representative and three works council members.
Workers need to mobilize broadly against this attack on one of our own and fully unleash the union’s fighting spirit to show the corporation where the line is drawn. Die Linke, the Left Party, has also already begun organizing support for Martin. This is very welcome.
This battle must not be reduced to a legal skirmish that could drag on for months and eventually fade into a footnote. Public protests and, if necessary, strikes must be organized against this act of arbitrariness.
A successful defence of Martin would set an example of how to fight back when the ruling class tries to cut living standards to maintain their profits and finance their rearmament drive.
The CWI appeals to all members and supporters: Send letters of protest to Köln-Bäder GmbH at [email protected] with copies sent to [email protected].
The press release from ver.di regarding this case can be found here in German: https://koeln-bonn-leverkusen.verdi.de/themen/nachrichten/++co++df6aaa40-663a-11f1-b4c9-29c40b612f12