The Left Berlin News & Comment

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Gorillas Workers Collective

Workers united organising for fair work conditions at @gorillasapp


11/11/2021

We are under attack!

Gorillas is undermining its workers in every possible way. They are illegally firing those who dare to strike for their basic rights. They are attempting to stop the establishment of a Workers’ Council. They are suing election workers and threatening them with jailtime. They are regularly stealing workers’ hard- earned wages. They are doing absolutely nothing to eliminate work accidents.

Precarisation is everywhere, and we must not let Gorillas be an example to other companies who wish to demolish our rights. We refuse to be their “flexible workforce”:

We say “No!” to precarisation and the exploitation of labour.

We say “No!” to unionbusting and arbitrary firings.

We say “No!” to putting workers` lives at risk because of poor work equipment.

We say “No!” to the misuse of vulnerabilities of migrant workers.

We say “No!” to being the new “Gastarbeiter”.

We, political groups and precarious workers of Berlin, come together to stand with Gorillas Workers. We demand the reinstatement of the workers who got fired for striking! An injury to one is an injury to all!

Together, we must fight to prevent this cruel gig-economy from becoming the new normal! On November 16th, the evening before the Electoral Council’s court case, we take to the streets to show that Gorillas workers are not alone – we are all affected by this! The bosses’ greed and union-busting will fall apart, but only if we stand together as one.

Schule muss Anders (School must be different)

Parents, school students, teachers, social workers, educators and others united for better schools in Berlin


04/11/2021

Schooling in Berlin is unjust. Pupils do not receive the support that they really need. Teachers, educators and social workers are overloaded, because they do not have enough co-workers. Berlin must recruit 3,000 teachers a year, but just 900 graduate from Berlin Universities. This means increasingly more tasks in decreasing amounts of time. Parents must compensate for what the school is unable to do. Berlin education politics is plugging holes, instead of supporting school students in the way they need. But school must be different (#schulemussanders) and this is possible.

In the next 5 weeks, the new coalition treaty [for the Berlin government] will be passed. This is where the educational guidelines for the next 5 years will be set.

We must decide NOW

Either we watch on as in the next 5 years holes will continue to be plugged or we finally ensure that schools and children receive what they need. Come to the demonstration, join our campaign channel on Telegram and become active.

This is why we are demonstrating together as parents, school students and staff on Saturday, 6th November at 2pm

Start: Haus der Statistik (3 minutes walk from Alexanderplatz at the corner of Karl-Marx-Allee and Otto-braun-Straße)

Final rally; 3pm in front of the Roten Rathaus

Parents, staff and school students will be joining to hand over petitions to leading politicians. The signatures on the petitions have been collected at over 100 Berlin schools.

Please being people with you

It makes a difference whether we attend the demo with 800 or 2,000 people. The more of you are there on 6th November, the greater the public pressure. The demonstration will be peaceful, and children are welcome.

You can find flyers for the demo which you can print out yourself here.

If you would like printed posters and flyer, send a mail to info@schule-muss-anders.de

Who are Schule muss anders?

The non-party education campaign “Schule muss anders” is supported by the Initiative “Schule in Not” (school in need), the Berlin alliance for school including, the Berliner Bürgerplattformen, the GEW Berlin teachers’ union, the lsfb (Landesverband der Kita- und Schulfördervereine Berlin-Brandenburg – Regional association of nursery and parent-teacher associations Berlin-Brandenburg), the teaching initiative Kreidestaub and the State stident committee. On top of this, many staff, parents and school students who have not been previously organised are active in the campaign.

What are the demands of the Campaign Schule muss anders?

  • More time for team and relationships – relief for all

  • Teams from different professions at the schools

  • More personnel and training places

  • Fight discrimination and guarantee participation

You can find further information and the details of our demands here.

Let us stand together for the future of education in this city and its schoolkids!

Saharauische Diaspora in Deutschland (Saharan Diaspora in Germany)

information and support for the cause of the Saharawi people


28/10/2021

Western Sahara, considered the last colony in Africa, has been pending decolonization for more than 45 years. A large part of this territory is illegally occupied by Morocco, which commits continuous violations against the Saharawi population, exploits the natural resources of the territory and has built a 2,700 km wall to separate the Saharawi people.

6th November 2021 sees the 46th anniversary of the “Green March” which marks the beginning of the Moroccan invasion of Western Sahara. The Saharauische Diaspora in Deutschland, supported by the LINKE Berlin Internationals and others, is organising a public meeting and a demonstration to commemorate the Event.

On Thursday, 4th November, Nayat Handi, representative of Polisario in Germany and Ubbi Bachar, representative of Polisario for the EU will be addressing a meeting in Karl Liebknecht Haus: Western Sahara: A Forgotten Struggle. Among other things, they will talk about the process of decolonization, the exploitation of natural resources, the role of the European Union The meeting will be moderated by Emma Lehbib from the Deutsche Saharauische Diaspora.

On Saturday, 6th November, the actual anniversary, there will be a demonstration to remember the tragic fate of the Saharawi people and, more importantly, to make their voice for freedom and independence heard. This will start at 1pm at Brandenburger Tor and will march to the Reichstag, where there will be music, poems, stories and speeches.

With half of the population living in refugee camps and the other half under Moroccan occupation, the Saharawi people have been struggling for four decades for their right to exist on their legitimate land.

The Saharauische Diaspora in Deutschland links Western Saharans in Germany in their struggle for freedom for Western Sahara, Africa’s last colony. They can be contacted on facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Solidarisch geht Anders

Out of the crisis and not back


21/10/2021

Join us on Sunday, 24th October 2021, as we all take the streets for a Just Transition! Meet us at the march, starting 11.30 am in Berlin’s Regierungsviertel!

October 2021: all eyes on Berlin. Decisions with major implications for Germany and the world are expected from the coalition negotiations. As huge wildfires burn and rivers sweep up entire houses, as people are deported or left behind in war zones, whilst pensioners rummage through rubbish looking for returnable bottles and small-scale farms die out, whilst hunger grows across the world, as nursing staff on wards push unlimited overtime and more and more people are wondering how to pay the rent – whilst these intolerable conditions persist, the next four years spell political controversy.

During the election campaign, it became clear that none of the possible coalitions would provide the necessary answers to the global questions of justice of our time. And there is a risk that the parties will water down their demands. This cannot happen!

What we want!

In view of the current policy crisis and worsening global inequality, we are taking to the streets for a Just Transition. We urge: stop the politics of destruction and injustice! End the economic system that places profits over the protection of livelihoods. We need politics and economics for all people: for global social justice, solidarity-based health, material security and decent work, for climate justice, for social and ecological agriculture, against all forms of human and
group-based discrimination.

We want an effective freeze on rents and the redistribution of large assets and incomes. We demand equal rights for all people regardless of their passport, safe escape routes, and global freedom of movement. We want food security for all. This requires fair access to land and farms, instead of displacement by large corporations. We stand for vaccines for all people worldwide, an end to the care crisis and push for a health care system based on solidarity, not for profit! We are concerned with shorter working hours and a fair distribution of care work. We are taking to the streets for global climate justice, an end to fossil fuel industries, and reparations payments for centuries of colonial exploitation. No more money for polluters, but for people.

By taking the streets, we can generate collective pressure to affect political change. So join us: through solidarity, there’s another way – justice now!

While the media are commenting on the coalition negotiations as if it were a sports tournament, it is up to us to show which crises really need to be negotiated! This is why we are joining a broad civil society alliance as part of the Gerechtigkeit Jetzt! action days framework (20th-29th October) on October 24th, 2021 in Berlin! Whilst the future is under threat to become a mere bargaining chip in the cabinet formation, we are taking our protest to the places of decision and destruction to show that we will not allow ourselves to be played off against each other. A Just Transition is needed – justice now!

Who’s organising the march?

We are many! From Fridays for Future to Oxfam, from Aktionsgemeinschaft Solidarische Welt to Nietenwahnsinn Stoppen!, from We’ll come United to Seebrücke. Compared to the world we are currently heading towards, we believe in a world that is a better place with more solidarity for everyone! Join us with your speeches and banners and your presence! Let us be loud and active in large numbers for a future in solidarity for all!

Grupa Granica

A newly-formed coalition of several established migrant support organisations in Poland is our Campaign of the Week


15/10/2021

Grupa Granica (“Border Group”) is a newly-formed coalition of several established non-governmental organisations in Poland, which have been working for and with migrants for many years.

The group was formed to address the humanitarian crisis happening at the Polish-Belarusian border. It offers on-the-ground, material support for the people currently stuck there, as well as coordinating a Poland-wide response to the crisis and any new developments. The group also includes documentation, investigation and legal teams.

Members of the group are: Stowarzyszenie Nomada, Stowarzyszenie Interwencji Prawnej, Stowarzyszenie Homo Faber, Polskie Forum Migracyjne, Helsińska Fundacja Praw Człowieka, Salam Lab, Dom Otwarty, Centrum Pomocy Prawnej im. Haliny Nieć, Chlebem i Solą, uchodźcy.info, Testigo Documentary, Kuchnia Konfliktu, Strefa WolnoSłowa, RATS Agency and independent activists, lawyers and investigators.

  • For the latest updates from Grupa Granica, check out their Twitter profile at @GrupaGranica.