For days, dozens of truck drivers have been on strike on the A5 near Weiterstadt in Germany, partly because they are not getting paid. Now the Polish haulage company in charge apparently wanted to end the strike by force. The police had to intervene with a large contingent and arrests were made.
For days, about 50 truck drivers have been holding out with their vehicles at the Gräfenhausen motorway service station on the A5 near Weiterstadt (Darmstadt-Dieburg). They have gone on strike because they have apparently not seen any money from the large Polish haulage company they drive for for over 50 days. The situation escalated on Good Friday.
Around 11 a.m., there were heated arguments when the Polish company owner, accompanied by several people, tried to gain access to the parked trucks. The delegation looked more like a paramilitary unit than a delegation of a haulage company.
Large police contingent on site
Some of the men drove up to the service area in armoured vehicles, some even wore what appeared to be bullet-proof waistcoats. They apparently had the mission to intimidate the truck drivers and to steal the trucks by force if necessary. Stefan Körzell, member of the executive board of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), spoke on Twitter of a “group of thugs from Poland” who tried to “steal” the drivers’ trucks.
The police were on the scene with a large contingent and dogs to prevent the threat of escalation. According to police reports, the police managed to settle the conflict by threatening to use pepper spray and batons. A total of 16 people were temporarily arrested. Those involved are now under investigation for, among other things, aggravated breach of the peace, threats, coercion, attempted grievous bodily harm and disturbing a meeting.
DGB executive demands consequences
“The drivers are happy that the situation is easing,” said Körzell, who witnessed the incident on the spot, in the afternoon and thanked the police for their quick intervention. The groups had been separated from each other with barrier tape.
The owner had not only brought the security people, but also substitute drivers in three small buses, Körzell said. They said that they had been taken from their own trucks at other rest areas during the night and brought to Gräfenhausen.
“That the owner of the haulage company sends a paramilitary goon squad including an armoured vehicle to Germany to end a protest by truck drivers with martial threats is an outrageous act,” Körzell said. This must have consequences.
Protest against working conditions
The fact that the haulage company has apparently not paid the drivers for weeks is only one of the reasons for the ongoing protest. The men, mostly from Uzbekistan, Georgia and other Eastern European countries, want to push through their demand for fair pay and decent working conditions.
“These are not normal working conditions we have,” said one of the strikers. Another complained, “Actually I have three jobs. Not only do I sit behind the wheel, I also have to do the loading and unloading and I’m responsible for safety.” Yet he has been waiting for his wages for weeks. Drivers sometimes have repairs deducted from their wages, and the money they get for food is not enough.
The truckers are not alone: trade unionists and associations from the area have donated food and drinks, Verdi flags hang on truck tarpaulins as a sign of solidarity. Advisors from the “Fair Mobility” network were on site and are also drawing attention to the drivers’ protest on social networks.
“What we are experiencing here is unfortunately a bit of a sad reality in freight transport in Europe,” said the Hessian chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), Michael Rudolph, who also visited the strikers. The legal situation is actually clear: “The wage of the country in which the driver is working applies. Unfortunately, the reality is different, Rudolph said. There are many employers who send drivers “across Europe for much less money”. These people would not only work under the most precarious conditions, but also live.
Call for better controls
Instead of being on the road for a maximum of two weeks at a time, they are in fact often on the trunk roads in Europe for weeks and months at a time, and then they also only sleep in their cars, which is forbidden. On top of that: According to their contracts, the drivers are probably bogus self-employed.
According to Rudolph, the applicable rules must also be observed and better controlled. The Hessian DGB leader advocates for further demands: “We want the tariff of the country where unloading takes place.” And he emphasises something else: “We need clear rules that violations of the minimum wage law in Germany can also be enforced and enforced against employers in Poland.”
SPD and Left show solidarity
Günther Rudolph, parliamentary group leader of the SPD in the state parliament, has a similar view: “We urgently need more controls and compliance with applicable law, but this requires more staff,” he said on Friday, according to a statement. “Unfortunately, we see from the example at the Gräfenhausen service area on the A5 that exploitation in long-distance road haulage is still the order of the day in Germany too.” The actions of the haulier at the service area should not be tolerated by the rule of law.
The Hessian Left Party also commented on the events. “We stand in solidarity with the striking truck drivers in Gräfenhausen,” said state chairperson Christiane Böhm. When employers want to violently break up industrial disputes by alleged right-wing forces, this is a scandal that is reminiscent of the “darkest moments in German history”. Observers on site had noticed relevant right-wing scene clothing and tattoos on the men from Poland, Böhm said.
It is unclear what will happen now at the Gräfenhausen rest area. The strikers probably still do not want to resume their work.
>rutkowski partol
xD
[deleted]
Uznali nas
Rutkowski dawno powinien siedzieć.
Czytałem wypowiedz Rutkowskiego w tej sprawie i już dawno nie widziałem czegoś aż tak żałosnego. Firma nie płaci kierowcom, a rzekomo ma ogromne straty z powodu niedostaraczenia towaru. Co zrobiłby normalny właściciel? Zapłacił kierowcom zaległe pensje z jakimś bonusem. Co robi ten prywaciarz? Zatrudnia „legalną” mafię, by wymusić odholowanie ciężarówek.
Co na to Rutkowski w Święta? Coś o dialogu czy przebaczeniu? A gdzie tam, powiedział: „To międzynarodowy skandal [że jego ludzie zatrzymani przez policję…]. Moi ludzie byli przetrzymywani w nieludzkich warunkach, na deszczu, na trawie, bez dostępu do toalety przez ponad cztery godzinny. Nie mieli dostępu do pojazdów. Jedna z osób nie mogła nawet pójść po swoje leki. Policja przyjechała z psami, otoczyła ich taśmą.”
No, Panie Rutkowski, bardzo mi przykro, że mafiozi nie zostali przyjęci solą, chlebem czy ciepłą herbatą, ale może by się Pan zastanowił, w jakich warunkach spędzają okres świąteczny ci strajkujący kierowcy.
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For days, dozens of truck drivers have been on strike on the A5 near Weiterstadt in Germany, partly because they are not getting paid. Now the Polish haulage company in charge apparently wanted to end the strike by force. The police had to intervene with a large contingent and arrests were made.
For days, about 50 truck drivers have been holding out with their vehicles at the Gräfenhausen motorway service station on the A5 near Weiterstadt (Darmstadt-Dieburg). They have gone on strike because they have apparently not seen any money from the large Polish haulage company they drive for for over 50 days. The situation escalated on Good Friday.
Around 11 a.m., there were heated arguments when the Polish company owner, accompanied by several people, tried to gain access to the parked trucks. The delegation looked more like a paramilitary unit than a delegation of a haulage company.
Large police contingent on site
Some of the men drove up to the service area in armoured vehicles, some even wore what appeared to be bullet-proof waistcoats. They apparently had the mission to intimidate the truck drivers and to steal the trucks by force if necessary. Stefan Körzell, member of the executive board of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), spoke on Twitter of a “group of thugs from Poland” who tried to “steal” the drivers’ trucks.
The police were on the scene with a large contingent and dogs to prevent the threat of escalation. According to police reports, the police managed to settle the conflict by threatening to use pepper spray and batons. A total of 16 people were temporarily arrested. Those involved are now under investigation for, among other things, aggravated breach of the peace, threats, coercion, attempted grievous bodily harm and disturbing a meeting.
DGB executive demands consequences
“The drivers are happy that the situation is easing,” said Körzell, who witnessed the incident on the spot, in the afternoon and thanked the police for their quick intervention. The groups had been separated from each other with barrier tape.
The owner had not only brought the security people, but also substitute drivers in three small buses, Körzell said. They said that they had been taken from their own trucks at other rest areas during the night and brought to Gräfenhausen.
“That the owner of the haulage company sends a paramilitary goon squad including an armoured vehicle to Germany to end a protest by truck drivers with martial threats is an outrageous act,” Körzell said. This must have consequences.
Protest against working conditions
The fact that the haulage company has apparently not paid the drivers for weeks is only one of the reasons for the ongoing protest. The men, mostly from Uzbekistan, Georgia and other Eastern European countries, want to push through their demand for fair pay and decent working conditions.
“These are not normal working conditions we have,” said one of the strikers. Another complained, “Actually I have three jobs. Not only do I sit behind the wheel, I also have to do the loading and unloading and I’m responsible for safety.” Yet he has been waiting for his wages for weeks. Drivers sometimes have repairs deducted from their wages, and the money they get for food is not enough.
The truckers are not alone: trade unionists and associations from the area have donated food and drinks, Verdi flags hang on truck tarpaulins as a sign of solidarity. Advisors from the “Fair Mobility” network were on site and are also drawing attention to the drivers’ protest on social networks.
“What we are experiencing here is unfortunately a bit of a sad reality in freight transport in Europe,” said the Hessian chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), Michael Rudolph, who also visited the strikers. The legal situation is actually clear: “The wage of the country in which the driver is working applies. Unfortunately, the reality is different, Rudolph said. There are many employers who send drivers “across Europe for much less money”. These people would not only work under the most precarious conditions, but also live.
Call for better controls
Instead of being on the road for a maximum of two weeks at a time, they are in fact often on the trunk roads in Europe for weeks and months at a time, and then they also only sleep in their cars, which is forbidden. On top of that: According to their contracts, the drivers are probably bogus self-employed.
According to Rudolph, the applicable rules must also be observed and better controlled. The Hessian DGB leader advocates for further demands: “We want the tariff of the country where unloading takes place.” And he emphasises something else: “We need clear rules that violations of the minimum wage law in Germany can also be enforced and enforced against employers in Poland.”
SPD and Left show solidarity
Günther Rudolph, parliamentary group leader of the SPD in the state parliament, has a similar view: “We urgently need more controls and compliance with applicable law, but this requires more staff,” he said on Friday, according to a statement. “Unfortunately, we see from the example at the Gräfenhausen service area on the A5 that exploitation in long-distance road haulage is still the order of the day in Germany too.” The actions of the haulier at the service area should not be tolerated by the rule of law.
The Hessian Left Party also commented on the events. “We stand in solidarity with the striking truck drivers in Gräfenhausen,” said state chairperson Christiane Böhm. When employers want to violently break up industrial disputes by alleged right-wing forces, this is a scandal that is reminiscent of the “darkest moments in German history”. Observers on site had noticed relevant right-wing scene clothing and tattoos on the men from Poland, Böhm said.
It is unclear what will happen now at the Gräfenhausen rest area. The strikers probably still do not want to resume their work.
>rutkowski partol
xD
[deleted]
Uznali nas
Rutkowski dawno powinien siedzieć.
Czytałem wypowiedz Rutkowskiego w tej sprawie i już dawno nie widziałem czegoś aż tak żałosnego. Firma nie płaci kierowcom, a rzekomo ma ogromne straty z powodu niedostaraczenia towaru. Co zrobiłby normalny właściciel? Zapłacił kierowcom zaległe pensje z jakimś bonusem. Co robi ten prywaciarz? Zatrudnia „legalną” mafię, by wymusić odholowanie ciężarówek.
Co na to Rutkowski w Święta? Coś o dialogu czy przebaczeniu? A gdzie tam, powiedział: „To międzynarodowy skandal [że jego ludzie zatrzymani przez policję…]. Moi ludzie byli przetrzymywani w nieludzkich warunkach, na deszczu, na trawie, bez dostępu do toalety przez ponad cztery godzinny. Nie mieli dostępu do pojazdów. Jedna z osób nie mogła nawet pójść po swoje leki. Policja przyjechała z psami, otoczyła ich taśmą.”
No, Panie Rutkowski, bardzo mi przykro, że mafiozi nie zostali przyjęci solą, chlebem czy ciepłą herbatą, ale może by się Pan zastanowił, w jakich warunkach spędzają okres świąteczny ci strajkujący kierowcy.