The left is too isolated from ordinary people, says Sebastian Grambow of the anarchist trade union FAU – and calls for protests.
TAZ || Mr. Grambow, after the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) and the Left Party , local groups of the anarcho-syndicalist union FAU are now also calling for social protests. Their motto: “The government doesn’t care about you.” What do you mean by that?
Sebastian Grambow : Well, the government doesn’t care about ordinary citizens, does it? You can see that in this so-called “reform package.” It’s all about corporate profits and dismantling hard-won gains. We want to make it clear to people: The current CDU-SPD government has no interest in improving our lives, but rather in making them worse. A different government won’t fix it either; the problem is the system itself. That was the basic idea behind our campaign. Interview: Sebastian Grambow
He is a metalworker from Magdeburg and hates his job at a temporary employment agency. He is looking for like-minded people at the Magdeburg branch of the anarchist trade union FAU to put an end to wage slavery.
taz: You really believe that the government is trying to make people’s lives worse?
Grambow: She certainly does. Just one example: Our “Green Trades Initiative” for agriculture is currently criticizing the government’s plan to significantly reduce the right to skin cancer screening – even though it’s one of the most common occupational diseases in the sector. They actually want us to bake in the fields and are willing to accept that we might die from it.
taz: The DGB trade unions and left-wing parties are already mobilizing for social protests , albeit with rather limited success so far. Why is a left-wing campaign needed now?
Grambow: Well, let me be clear, we have absolutely no problem with the other rallies and protests; some of our unions are even participating. We don’t want to say: We’re the better ones and they’re the worse ones. But when the DGB (German Trade Union Confederation) chairwoman, Yasmin Fahimi, praises the reform package as a “right signal,” then we’re just disgusted. Many people at the grassroots level of the DGB unions feel the same way. That’s why we want to bring a different, critical stance towards the state to the public at our rallies and critically monitor the DGB and Left Party protests.
taz: Your campaign website includes a call to action urging people to attend the protests organized by the DGB (German Trade Union Confederation) and the Left Party to demonstrate that the protest is also directed against their leadership. Does this mean that disruptions are to be expected?
Grambow: No. Of course, what the individual syndicates and members do is their own business. But our main concern is more about showing our presence. We want to be there where things are happening, to address the discontent of the population, which here in the East usually ends up in the AfD. To that end, we primarily want to engage in dialogue with our colleagues.
taz: And what is the anarchist response to the current social cuts?
Grambow: Of course we have demands. But we assume the government won’t give a damn. What we really want is for people to empower themselves and not let their anger be channeled into some self-appointed ruler. That’s why we in Magdeburg train each other in labor and social law, run a neighborhood commune with a community shop, have an unemployed people’s group, and are building workplace groups. We know we won’t achieve success overnight. But that’s what we want to promote.
taz: Why should that work right now?
Grambow: The entire legitimacy of this state is crumbling: the promise that although we are exploited, we are still relatively well off, that the weak are helped. Many factions of capital and their associated politics are now spitting on this state legitimacy. We must exploit this to show that there is another way, beyond tightly organized parties and the DGB (German Trade Union Confederation), which is often only interested in workers during collective bargaining negotiations.
taz: Are the DGB unions really that bad?
Grambow: Not always, and that’s not what we’re saying. We want to support our colleagues who are militant. In Stuttgart at Mercedes, for example, you can see that there can even be a militant IG Metall – I say that as a former metalworker. What’s most important to us is that people are organized at all. Ideally, of course, in a revolutionary union, but joining the DGB (German Trade Union Confederation) is also a good first step.
taz: How big is FAU actually?
Grambow: Let me put it this way: the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution counts about 2,000 people in our organization, but they’re not very good at math and have missed a few. We’re aware, however, that we’re still small, even though we’re quite large by the standards of the radical left in Germany. That’s why we believe we have a real opportunity right now to build more workplace groups so that people take us more seriously.
taz: Left-wing groups have been trying to organize social protests for several years now. It just doesn’t work. Why is it so difficult in Germany?
Grambow: I think a lot of what left-wing groups in Germany do isn’t truly sustainable. Many alliances carry out their actions over a weekend and then disappear again. What sets us apart is that we offer genuinely long-term organizing, that many of our members actually see themselves as workers. I experience time and again during flyer distributions or on the job that ordinary people have no contact with leftists anymore. They don’t even know us as regular colleagues. The left-wing scene is simply too isolated. That’s the crux of the matter that we want to overcome.
taz: What do you experience when you go out to distribute flyers in Magdeburg?
Grambow: What I’ve often experienced is that people have a completely distorted image of leftists, based on what they see on Twitter. They’re then quite surprised to find out that we’re normal people. Many also harbor a deep-seated aversion. In those situations, you have to engage in conversation and try to find common ground. Often, peace issues are important to AfD voters here in the east, and we can score points by emphasizing our unconditional opposition to war. These are the kinds of issues where you might be able to effect a change of heart. But sometimes you just get shouted at or threatened. Then you have to show that you won’t be intimidated.
taz: When would you say: Our campaign was a success?
Grambow: If more workplace groups form, that would be a start. We won’t be the ones to start wildcat strikes, nor will we be able to organize a general strike, even if that were necessary. But we can work towards people organizing where they work – because that’s where they have the most power to make a difference. It doesn’t matter whether that happens in a kindergarten, a factory canteen, or a large industrial plant. If we start organizing as colleagues, the government might just start to fear us again.
