The kronach branch of the verdi service union honored loyal members at the "zum frack" inn in steinberg. The 44 jubilarians have 1450 years of loyalty to the union, for which local chairman schmitt and doris stadelmayer, manager of the upper franconia-west region, expressed their thanks.
The jubilarians are the living proof that success is not a one-off, but has to be fought for and maintained in the long term. This requires an independent, strong and assertive trade union, said schmitt at the start of the meeting.
Stadelmayer pointed out many achievements that today were taken for granted, for which trade unionists had to fight for years and months. She regretted that the workers had nothing from the economic boom. Despite the upswing over the past few years, the proportion of over-indebted people in germany has risen, and over-indebtedness is increasing particularly sharply in the over-65 age group. Even after the federal elections, there were no signs of change, according to stadelmayer. The chancellor advocates a clear continuation of the same approach to pensions. It is very worrying that the discussion is not about poverty among the elderly and the housing shortage, but that the CSU is calling for an upper limit for refugees. Making migrants out to be scapegoats only distracts from the real issue and social imbalance.
For more justice
According to stadelmayer, the real cause of the afd's rise is social injustice in germany. Because financial administrations are understaffed, the state loses twelve billion euros a year. That's where the money the country desperately needs is to be found, not in cursed people, she denounced.
As verdi demands she named the damming of precarious employment, pensions for a good life, social housing and urgent investment in education. In germany, one percent of the population owns 38.8 percent of the net wealth, she said, addressing the distribution imbalance. In conclusion, she called on the jubilarians and all members to work for solidarity with one another and for a country in which people can live well from their work and receive a decent pension after their working lives.
Mayor susanne grebner emphasized the importance of trade unions, especially in today's world, where many people cannot make a living from their work and poverty among the elderly is becoming more and more widespread.
The musical framing took place by the sanger song maker stefan hofmann from lichtenfels, who gave with thoughtful texts and arrangements some food for thought.