Presseerklärung - 22.01.10
von Infoteam
Kino Babylon Wants the FAU Berlin Charged
On January 12, the management of the Babylon Mitte cinema filed for charges at the Berlin Regional Court against the FAU Berlin and called for a "harsh fine or the imprisonment of the FAU Berlin's secretaries for breaking court orders".
Last year the FAU Berlin had already been banned by court order from taking job action and was even prohibited from calling itself a "union" or a "grassroots union". According to the Babylon, the FAU Berlin is in violation of the prohibition and should be charged. The charges could result in fines of up to EUR 250,000 (USD 375,000) or imprisonment for up to six month.
FAU Berlin secretary Lars Röhm said, "In our opinion this is a de-facto union ban, which is in violation of the constitutional freedom of association and international conventions, such as those of the ILO. Threatening a workers' association with imprisonment is disturbing in that it is a threat to basic human rights. Once more the petition filed by the management illustrates the bosses anti-employee sentiments."
Threatening workers with imprisonment because of activities in a workers' association is practically a novelty in the labour history of the Federal Republic of Germany. It illustrates what alarming proportions the conflict in the Babylon Mitte cinema has taken and how the Berlin court's verdict endangers organized labour. And the recent decisions made by Berlin's courts give no cause for hope.
The de-facto union ban is obviously politically motivated and makes a mockery of justice. The FAU Berlin is under the constant threat of being indicted for even remotely mentioning the word "union" in relation with themselves.
Behind all this is the evident attempt to muzzle the FAU Berlin and to break its organizational strength. That won't get anywhere, though. The FAU is tenacious and can count on widespread solidarity. Regardless of the outcome of this petition, if the management's intention was to impose silence, they will get the contrary. With every new repression, discontent is rising and the situation escalating.
This development probably won't slip the attention of the Left (a left-leaning political party which is part of Berlin's ruling coalition government) and the ver.di trade union, who are partly responsible for this situation. They will be expected to take a stance concerning the Babylon and the verdicts because of the self-destructive actions of Babylon Mitte's manager, Timothy Grossman. Recognizing the FAU Berlin and safeguarding the interests on the shop floor are the only road to deescalation.
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For more information:
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Special page about the verdict against FAU Berlin:
http://www.fau.org/verbot
Blog of cinema Babylon Mitte workers:
http://prekba.blogsport.de
Press contact: Lars Röhm | faub5(a)fau.org | +49 01577 8491072
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