Dozens of truck drivers have been on strike on the A5 near Weiterstadt for days, partly because they are not receiving any money. Now the responsible Polish forwarding company apparently wanted to end the strike with violence. The police had to intervene with a large contingent, arrests were made.
From
Julian Moering
Video
01:55 mins
Escalation to the Gräfenhausen service area
End of video post
Around 50 truck drivers and their vehicles have been waiting for days at the Gräfenhausen motorway service station on the A5 near Weiterstadt (Darmstadt-Dieburg). They went on strike because they apparently haven’t seen any money from the major Polish trucking company they drive for for over 50 days. The situation escalated on Good Friday.
At around 11:00 a.m., violent arguments broke out when the Polish company owner, accompanied by several people, tried to gain access to the parked trucks. The delegation was more like a paramilitary unit than a delegation from a trucking company.
Police in large numbers on site
Some of the men drove up to the service area with tank-like vehicles, some even wore supposedly bulletproof vests. Apparently their job was to intimidate the truck drivers and, if necessary, to use force to steal the trucks. Stefan Körzell, board member of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), speaks on Twitter of a “thugs from Poland” who tried to “steal” the drivers’ trucks.
Show external content from Twitter?
Here is content recommended by our editors Twitter. Since you have deactivated Javascript in your browser, it cannot be displayed here. The following link opens the content on the provider’s website.
Open Twitter content
End of external content
Ideas
The police were on site with a large contingent and dogs to prevent the impending escalation. According to the police, the emergency services managed to settle the conflict under threat of using pepper spray and batons. A total of 19 people were provisionally arrested, including the Polish trucking company owner. During the search of people and vehicles, the officers found two knives, a mouth guard and pepper spray.
Those involved in the crime are now being investigated, among other things, for serious breaches of the peace, threats, coercion, attempted dangerous bodily harm and disruption of a meeting. In addition, everyone received a dismissal. The service area was closed for the duration of the operation and was reopened around 4:30 p.m.
DGB board demands consequences
“The drivers are happy that the situation is easing,” said Körzell, who experienced the incident on site, in the afternoon and thanked the police for the quick intervention. The groups were separated from each other with barrier tape.
According to Körzell, the owner not only brought the security people with him, but also substitute drivers in three small buses. They had said that they had been taken out of their own trucks at other rest areas during the night and taken to Gräfenhausen.
“The fact that the owner of the forwarding agency sends a paramilitary gang including an armored vehicle to Germany to end a protest by truck drivers with a martial threat is an outrageous occurrence,” said Körzell. That must have consequences.
protest against working conditions
The fact that the trucking company has apparently not paid the drivers for weeks is just one of the reasons for the ongoing protest. The men, who mostly come from Uzbekistan, Georgia and other Eastern European countries, want to enforce their demand for fair pay and decent working conditions. There are also strikes in South Tyrol, Italy and the Netherlands.
“These are not normal working conditions that 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 am responsible for safety.” Nevertheless, he has been waiting for his wages for weeks. In some cases, drivers would have repairs deducted from their wages, the money they get for food was not enough.
The truckers are not alone: trade unionists and associations from the area have donated food and drinks, Verdi flags are hanging on truck tarpaulins as a sign of solidarity. Advisors from the “Fair Mobility” network were on site and also drew attention to the drivers’ protests on social networks.
“Unfortunately, what we are experiencing here is a bit of the 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 wages of the country in which the vehicle is driven apply.” Unfortunately, the reality is different, according to Rudolph. There are many employers who “send drivers through 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 actually often on the trunk roads in Europe for weeks and months and then only sleep in their cars, which is illegal. In addition, according to their contracts, the drivers are probably bogus self-employed.
The applicable rules must also be observed and better controlled, according to Rudolph. The Hessian DGB boss also advocates further demands: “We want the tariff of the country in which it is unloaded.” And he emphasizes something else: “We need clear rules so that violations of the minimum wage law in Germany can also be enforced and enforced against employers in Poland.”
The SPD and the left show solidarity
Günther Rudolph, SPD parliamentary group leader in the state parliament, sees it similarly: “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 can see from the example of the Gräfenhausen service area on the A5 that exploitation in long-distance traffic is still the order of the day in Germany, too.” The rule of law should not tolerate the behavior of the freight forwarder at the rest area.
The Hessian left also commented on the events. “We stand in solidarity with the striking truck drivers in Gräfenhausen,” said state chairwoman Christiane Böhm. When employers want to violently resolve industrial disputes by supposedly right-wing forces, it’s a scandal reminiscent of the “darkest moments in German history.” According to Böhm, on-site observers found the men from Poland wearing relevant right-wing scene clothing and tattoos.
It is unclear how things will continue in Gräfenhausen. The strikers still do not want to go back to work and are staying at the service area for the time being.
End of further information