Betrayal in Berlin: Action Now!

The article argues that the Verdi union in Germany has betrayed transport workers by prematurely ending a contract dispute without achieving significant gains. It accuses Verdi of prioritizing cooperation with the government and employers over the interests of its members, citing Verdi's agreement to arbitration despite strong opposition from workers. The article claims the union deliberately undermined the workers' struggle to prevent a broader mobilization against the government's austerity measures and war policies. Verdi is accused of isolating transport workers to prevent them from uniting with other sectors facing similar issues. The article points to the lack of transparency and democratic decision-making within the union as evidence of its unwillingness to fight for workers' demands. The author advocates for the creation of independent Transport Workers' Action Committees to represent the workers' interests directly, bypassing the Verdi union. These committees are presented as a necessary alternative to the existing union structure, which is seen as incapable of achieving meaningful improvements for transport workers. The article urges workers to take matters into their own hands and build new, independent forms of organization. find the original article here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/05/08/6b02-m08.html