Panel Talk: Der Wert der Zeit

Strikes are one of the most important achievements of trade unions, to fight for higher pay and better working conditions. But what happens when the demands go beyond these demands and workers also campaign for direct democracy, solidarity, climate justice and autonomy in their workplaces? When the workers of the automotive supplier GKN Driveline were summarily dismissed in the summer of 2021, they immediately decided to occupy their factory and fight its closure. The Italian theatre collective Kepler-452 worked with the GKN workers to develop »Il Capitale—un libro che ancora non abbiamo letto«, a play about radical social, ecological and economic change. This unusual attack on capital provides us with an excellent opportunity to discuss resistance in the world of work. What happens when the boss is gone? What other ways of working are possible? In which historical tradition and continuity are today’s striking workers located? And what is the current situation in ­Germany?

Interpreters: Sofia Carrà and Henrieke Markert