Recently, looking at European countries, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, Sweden ......Waves of strikes in different industries in various countries have come and gone.
However, in the face of frequent large-scale strikes, countries have shown that they are unable to crack it.
Workers are willing to go on strike to fight their employers."
From the evening of December 7 to the evening of December 8, local time, the German railway drivers' union held a strike, which was the second strike held by the organization in less than a month.
The strike stems from the failure of negotiations between the unions and Deutsche Bahn on a collective bargaining agreement.
The union demanded a reduction in the working hours of shift workers from 38 hours to 35 hours per week, in addition, an increase of 555 euros per month in wage income and inflation compensation bonuses.
Klaus Wezerski, president of the German railway drivers' union, said workers were willing to go on strike to contend with "employers who pretend to offer us a lot of wages but in fact ignore our demands."
Screenshot of the Associated Press report.
Deutsche Bahn responded that the union's impromptu strike, which was scheduled on a weekend with many travelers, was "irresponsible and selfish".
At the same time, the railway company said that the high demands of the unions, especially the demand for reduced working hours, meant that DB would have to hire an additional 10% of its manpower to make up the shortfall.
The railway company proposed an 11% salary increase and an additional subsidy of 2,850 euros for 32 months, but the union rejected it.
Screenshot of Deutsche Welle's report.
During the strike, thousands of trains were cancelled throughout Germany.
This is the fourth strike of the year by German railway drivers. In addition, the German Train Drivers' Union has launched a vote to hold an indefinite strike, the results of which will be announced before the end of the year.
At the same time, the "wave of strikes" in various industries in the UK continues.
The UK is mired in deep inflation, people's living standards are declining, and many industries such as railway transportation, airport transportation, medical services, postal education, etc. have been affected.
From 5 to 9 December, the British Train Drivers and Stokers Federation held a joint strike, with the participation of more than a dozen railway companies.
The British Train Drivers' Union says that since 2019, the wages of most train drivers have stagnated, while rising prices have shrunk their incomes. The inaction of the incumbent in the UK is the main cause of high inflation in the UK.
Screenshot of the British "Daily Telegraph" report.
The railway workers' strike is not over yet, and British medical personnel have decided to hold several strikes around New Year's Eve.
The British Medical Association, which represents nearly 200,000 doctors in the UK, said junior doctors would strike from December 20 to December 23, and then, again from January 3 to 9, 2024.
The strike will be the longest in the history of the UK's healthcare system.
Screenshot of AFP report.
Since the start of the pay dispute at the beginning of the year, there have been a number of strikes by healthcare workers in the UK. They are demanding better working conditions and higher pay in response to high inflation and prices**.
According to the British Medical Association, since 2008, the base salary of junior doctors has fallen by 15% in real terms, while that of consultants has fallen by 19%.
In the face of the doctors' strike, the British accused the doctors of being "irresponsible" and "unprofessional" and threatened to enforce new contracts. The public understands and supports the doctors' strike, but is also worried about the impact of the strike on their own medical treatment.
More than 600,000 outpatient appointments and surgeries have been cancelled or postponed during this year's eight-month health care strike, according to previous statistics in the UK**.
Screenshot of the British "Guardian" report.
Strikes in different industries are frequent in European countries.
Across Europe, many countries are facing the same dilemma.
Italian medical workers also just held a national strike on the 5th of this month, ** The budget has invested too little in medical care, and requires measures to solve the serious shortage of medical staff, low salaries, and heavy workload.
According to incomplete statistics, about 1.5 million outpatient visits, examinations and surgeries were affected in Italy during the strike.
And on December 18, anesthesiologists organized by several trade unions in Italy will also hold a national strike on the same grounds.
Screenshot of the Euronews report.
On December 7, local time, the Spanish trade union issued a statement announcing that it planned to convene employees of supermarket chains in Madrid, the capital of Spain, for a four-day strike, and the negotiation of a collective agreement between labor and management in the field of **food** came to a standstill, hoping to win better working conditions through the strike.
The strike is expected to take place on December 23, 24, 30 and 31.
Screenshot of the report of Spain's "Olive Press".
Also on December 7, the 48-hour strike of employees of the Belgian railway system has just ended, and about 40% of trains in Belgium have been suspended. The strike stems from employee dissatisfaction with the progress of internal reform negotiations, the last of which took place last month.
The union stressed that workers' dissatisfaction with management has never been stronger.
Staffing shortages have increased the pressure on work, and employees are faced with failing work tools and inoperable rail structures every day, and the need for rail stability is now more than ever. ”
Screenshot of the Belgian "Brussels Times" report.
Why are there frequent strikes in different industries in European countries?Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing University of Foreign Chinese, believes that
For a long time, these European countries have accumulated some contradictions between labor and management, which are mainly reflected in the general dissatisfaction of the working class with their income. Especially in the past two years, Europe has experienced relatively serious inflation, and under the impact of inflation, household spending has risen sharply, resulting in a continuous decline in the real living standard of households.
At the same time, many European countries** have adopted austerity policies in order to curb inflation, which has led to a decline in economic vitality, which has further affected the incomes of wage earners.
Screenshot of the Reuters report.
In the face of large-scale strikes, why are European countries powerless?Cui Hongjian said frankly that if the fundamentals of the European economy cannot be fundamentally improved, the current "strange circle" will continue.
Now that the management is also affected by inflation and austerity policies, the cost of production is rising, and they do not want to pay more wages to the wage earners.
At the same time, in many European countries**, if the salary increase is according to the expected amount of wage earners, it will in turn further stimulate inflation.
In the short term, if Europe is still in a cycle of "inflation-monetary tightening-falling incomes-surging social discontent", strikes will continue to emerge.
Material**丨Global Information Broadcasting "Global Deep Observation".
Planning丨Liu Yiyao.
Reporter丨Shan Lijuan.
Editor丨Li Hao, Lin Wei.
Signing and review丨Zhang Ling, Liu Yiyao.
Producer丨Guan Juanjuan.