German Farmers

[Alex]

I've read they've been protesting for 3 days, bringing roads to a halt.   Now I believe the truck drivers have joined the protest.  Has it been on the news on telly ?

[JBR]

I've read they've been protesting for 3 days, bringing roads to a halt.  Now I believe the truck drivers have joined the protest.  Has it been on the news on telly ?

And I thought Britain was the world leader when it comes to militant unions!

[klondike]

I've read a little about it but like you have no TV licence. I read that the German government are suggesting that they are all far right extremists. Yeah right I believe that absolutely.

[JBR]

I've read a little about it but like you have no TV licence. I read that the German government are suggesting that they are all far right extremists. Yeah right I believe that absolutely.

Far right?  Ours are all lefties.  I thought all militant unions were left wing.

[klondike]

What you read depends on where you read it.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/01/08/farmers-revolt-tractor-protests-bring-germany-to-standstill-over-governments-globalist-agenda/


https://www.eugyppius.com/p/survey-69-of-germans-support-the

[JBR]

What you read depends on where you read it.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/01/08/farmers-revolt-tractor-protests-bring-germany-to-standstill-over-governments-globalist-agenda/


https://www.eugyppius.com/p/survey-69-of-germans-support-the

Yes, it's like reading the same article in the Telegraph and in the Guardian!

[Alex]

Their main schimpf is the government has taken away their cheap diesel, think that was the last straw.

[ansu]

At the moment there's sort of chaos in Germany, the farmers are on strike because our government reduces their subsidies and the engineers of the German railways are on strike because they want to reduce the daily working hours for shift workers and an increase in wages - so as the French say "rien ne va plus".
 As to the farmers - they are neither right nor left - and a majority says their arguments are correct, others say they aren't as poor and disadvantaged as they pretend to be. Fact is regional food is extremely expensive here. 
As to the railway engineers, no one can understand them and some say a whole country is to be held hostage by them. As I am retired I no longer need to go to work every day by train or car - thus all those strikes don't hit me.
At the moment our government consists of three parties having very different views and they are arguing too much about the right way to rule a country and to cope with the present problems - within Germany and all over the world. So, let's wait and see.

[JBR]

At the moment there's sort of chaos in Germany, the farmers are on strike because our government reduces their subsidies and the engineers of the German railways are on strike because they want to reduce the daily working hours for shift workers and an increase in wages - so as the French say "rien ne va plus".
 As to the farmers - they are neither right nor left - and a majority says their arguments are correct, others say they aren't as poor and disadvantaged as they pretend to be. Fact is regional food is extremely expensive here.
As to the railway engineers, no one can understand them and some say a whole country is to be held hostage by them. As I am retired I no longer need to go to work every day by train or car - thus all those strikes don't hit me.
At the moment our government consists of three parties having very different views and they are arguing too much about the right way to rule a country and to cope with the present problems - within Germany and all over the world. So, let's wait and see.

Your trade unions have obviously been keeping an eye on how our unions operate, and where there's money to be gained...!

Again, your final paragraph relates almost exactly to us and our government.  Our elected leaders not having a clue how to run the country.  That, of course, is as a result of our voters: vote for idiots and pay the price.

You, on the other hand appear to have three parties in your government.  I'm not sure how your system differs from ours, but in our case we have, unfortunately, a 'two party system': many people believe that they can only vote for Conservative or Labour, and then they wonder why the country is falling apart.

[klondike]

The Unions here are a busted flush. Thatcher emasculated most of them back in the 80s. The only ones that seem to have retained any clout are those in the public service or it's equivalent the tube and rail. If they strike the impact on the public causes an outcry and the government of the day caves in. Mostly at least.

[ansu]

When I was still working we also had strikes, but the present strike of the railway engineers is excessive - it's a power struggle between the leader of the trade union and the German Railway company.and the victims are the train passengers. The German Railways already had enough problems with their dilapidated rail network and their delayed trains before the strike. I can't remember when I last used a train that was not delayed. 
You may be right, our trade unions learned a lot from yours and the French ones. 

[JBR]

When I was still working we also had strikes, but the present strike of the railway engineers is excessive - it's a power struggle between the leader of the trade union and the German Railway company.and the victims are the train passengers. The German Railways already had enough problems with their dilapidated rail network and their delayed trains before the strike. I can't remember when I last used a train that was not delayed.
You may be right, our trade unions learned a lot from yours and the French ones.

Things have changed then.  When Marge and I were last in Germany, your rail system was excellent.  Never a delay; never a cancellation except for one journey where the train was cancelled due to a fallen tree.  That was in the Schwarzwald.

[Raven]

I've not been on a train in years, I simply can't trust them to be running, or be able to get a seat I paid through the nose for, they strike at the drop of a hat and far too often.
I'm sad to say I'll never be on one again.

[JBR]

I've not been on a train in years, I simply can't trust them to be running, or be able to get a seat I paid through the nose for, they strike at the drop of a hat and far too often.
I'm sad to say I'll never be on one again.

I agree.
We take it in turns to drive, and are happy to drive anywhere we wish or need to.

Our holiday this year will be a cruise with Saga.  We would have had to drive all the way to Folkestone and pay for parking for 12 days, because we couldn't possibly trust the trains not to be cancelled.  Fortunately, Saga includes transport from here to Folkestone by road (and return) in the price, which is one reason we chose that company.  Marge has used them before for her mother.

[klondike]

I stopped taking contracts in London which paid better and rather than use the train I was driving other places anything up to 80 odd miles each way. When I got one only 35 miles away I felt spoiled. The reason was the abysmal train service. I got dumped out part way home 3 times during a year contract and had to be picked up by my wife by car. On one of those occasions my leg was in plaster and I was on crutches. That was no fun at all and very painful. Delays and missing trains were normal.

Anything wrong and you'd have thousands milling around with no sig of any railway workers or busses laid on. That was 1995/6 and that was the last time I ever used a train.