In response to the federal government’s austerity plans, the German Farmers’ Association has called for a week of action starting on January 8th. “It’s enough: the federal government’s tax increase plans must be withdrawn,” demanded association president Joachim Rukwied on Platform X. At the same time, the association called for people to refrain from “senseless blockades”. “We have the population behind us, we can’t gamble that away,” said Rukwied. The week of action should culminate in a large demonstration in Berlin on January 15th. The transport industry also wants to participate.
The federal government wants to abolish tax breaks for agricultural diesel and motor vehicle tax for farmers in order to plug holes in the budget. Farmers have been demonstrating against the plans for days, and traffic has sometimes been disrupted.
Freight forwarders want to join the farmers
In January, freight forwarders and their employees want to join farmers’ campaigns. In an appeal on Friday, the Federal Association of Road Transport Logistics and Waste Disposal called for, among other things, relief in tolls and diesel fuel and more money for roads, bridges and parking spaces. “We are starting the week of action on January 8th with demonstrations in the state capitals,” it said. The highlight was the demonstration in Berlin a week later.
Overlapping with rail strike possible
The week of action could coincide with further strikes by train drivers. In the railway collective bargaining dispute, your union GDL announced that labor disputes could be expected again from January 8th. Rail travelers must therefore prepare for three to five day rail strikes. However, dates have not yet been announced.
