Germans seek job protections

Tens of thousands of workers from across Germany marched Saturday through downtown Berlin to call for increased government measures to protect their jobs and way of life.

German labor unions organized the mass demonstration as part of a Europe-wide effort to demand more action to save their jobs during the global economic crisis. Protests in Brussels and Spain took place Friday.

German union representatives estimated that 100,000 workers participated in Saturday’s protest. Police confirmed that tens of thousands of protesters were present.

In a speech at a rally after the march, the head of the Assn. of German Unions, Michael Sommer, laid the blame for the crisis not only on bankers, but also on “German and European politicians who were carried away by limitless greed.”

Measures the unions are seeking include introduction of a minimum wage, an increase in unemployment benefits and limits on how much top managers can earn. In Germany, wages are set by industry and union negotiators who are not bound by a government-imposed minimum.

Trade union representatives from several European Union nations are calling for a “new social deal for Europe” in which workers get the same kind of protection from their government as have banks.