It is Monday, and the Montagsdemos against the workplace reforms are once again taking place in Berlin and other eastern cities in Germany. An interesting analysis in the NachDenkSeiten highlights what is really at stake: a paradigm shift. The reforms will make Germany more ‘competitive’ by ending wage caps and paving the way for Wal-Mart-like “McJobs”. So Germany can enjoy the same relatively low rate of unemployment as the US, but can eliminate the health coverage, vacation, education programs, etc. This ‘Americanization’ of the Germany economy will be achieved at enormous cost to the average worker, and signals the end of the Social Welfare State (Sozialataat) that has been so successful for the past 50 years. The problem is not that people are not well-enough informed about the reforms. Rather, they know all too well what is happening:
Die Umfragen und die zunehmenden Proteste beweisen, dass diese Informationskampagne offenbar nicht viel gebracht hat. Jetzt soll eine neue Kampagne her. Das Geld dafür kann man sich sparen. Die Agenda hat kein Vermittlungsproblem, die Leute wissen ziemlich genau, worum es in Wahrheit geht. Die Globalisierungsthese oder die demographische Entwicklung taugen als Begründungen nicht, in Wahrheit geht es um den Einstieg in einen Systemwechsel von der „sozialen Marktwirtschaft“ zur anglo-amerikanischen Form des marktradikalen Kapitalismus; diese Abkehr vom Grundkonsens des sozialen Ausgleichs wollen die Menschen nicht und deshalb hilft die beste Vermittlung der Agenda nichts
The Agenda 2010 is being put forth as if there is no other option for the future direction of Germany. By pure coincidence, Jonathan Power has an opinion piece in today’s Boston Globe about the enduring success of Sweden. Power sees Sweden as an actractive alternative to the US economic model:
“Swedes have consciously chosen not to take the Anglo-Saxon road. They have one of the lowest take-home pay envelopes in the Western world. The state taxes away almost half of it. As for the rest, Swedes would rather take long holidays and a short workweek than push up the national income figures. Outsiders may say that Sweden, once the richest country in Europe in terms of GNP per head, is losing its way. Insiders are content. The economy purrs along.”
So it remains to be seen if the Monday protests in Germany gain traction and prevent or at least slow down the wholesale Americanization of labor in Germany.
