FAU Berlin: Forbidden Combative!
Defend union freedom!
Information event Fri, 18.12. 7 PM
Demo Sat, 19.12. 4 PM
Since December 11, FAU Berlin is no longer allowed to call itself a union by interim injunction. This effectively means a ban on this small combative workers' organization.
This legal measure was triggered by the management of the Babylon Mitte cinema, which obviously wants to paralyze the consistent self-organization of the employees in their establishment. A large part of the workforce at Babylon is organized in the FAU and has been successfully supported by it in labor disputes for months.
That the district court allows such a strong attack on union freedom without a hearing is a scandal. It not only creates a precedent that could undermine any form of free union organization but is also an attack on the fundamental right to freedom of association.
Press release - 15.12.09 from FAU Berlin
Base union: Forbidden!
FAU Berlin is no longer allowed to call itself a union.
On December 11, 2009, the Berlin District Court prohibited the Free Workers' Union Berlin (FAU) from referring to itself as a union or base union by interim injunction. This is the culmination of a series of attempts by Neue Babylon Berlin GmbH to legally act against the strongest and most active workers' association in the establishment.
Without an oral hearing, the district court followed the argumentation of the opposing side, claiming that FAU Berlin had already been stripped of its union status by the labor court in October. While this ruling prohibited FAU Berlin from boycotting the cinema, the union status was not up for discussion.
It is a novelty in German jurisprudence that an organization is prohibited from calling itself a union. It is all the more absurd when it concerns an organization that has been engaged in a labor dispute for over a year, ultimately forcing collective bargaining negotiations.
"This attack on the fundamental right of freedom of association is equivalent to a ban on unions. In our understanding, it is still the employees themselves who decide how they want to organize. Should this decision stand, it is not only an attack against FAU Berlin but against any form of independent grassroots organization," said Lars Röhm, secretary of FAU Berlin.
FAU Berlin announces that it will take action against this decision.
Defend union freedom!
Information event Fri, 18.12. 7 PM
Demo Sat, 19.12. 4 PM
Since December 11, FAU Berlin is no longer allowed to call itself a union by interim injunction. This effectively means a ban on this small combative workers' organization.
This legal measure was triggered by the management of the Babylon Mitte cinema, which obviously wants to paralyze the consistent self-organization of the employees in their establishment. A large part of the workforce at Babylon is organized in the FAU and has been successfully supported by it in labor disputes for months.
That the district court allows such a strong attack on union freedom without a hearing is a scandal. It not only creates a precedent that could undermine any form of free union organization but is also an attack on the fundamental right to freedom of association.
Press release - 15.12.09 from FAU Berlin
Base union: Forbidden!
FAU Berlin is no longer allowed to call itself a union.
On December 11, 2009, the Berlin District Court prohibited the Free Workers' Union Berlin (FAU) from referring to itself as a union or base union by interim injunction. This is the culmination of a series of attempts by Neue Babylon Berlin GmbH to legally act against the strongest and most active workers' association in the establishment.
Without an oral hearing, the district court followed the argumentation of the opposing side, claiming that FAU Berlin had already been stripped of its union status by the labor court in October. While this ruling prohibited FAU Berlin from boycotting the cinema, the union status was not up for discussion.
It is a novelty in German jurisprudence that an organization is prohibited from calling itself a union. It is all the more absurd when it concerns an organization that has been engaged in a labor dispute for over a year, ultimately forcing collective bargaining negotiations.
"This attack on the fundamental right of freedom of association is equivalent to a ban on unions. In our understanding, it is still the employees themselves who decide how they want to organize. Should this decision stand, it is not only an attack against FAU Berlin but against any form of independent grassroots organization," said Lars Röhm, secretary of FAU Berlin.
FAU Berlin announces that it will take action against this decision.
