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Press release of FAU Berlin concerning EUR 250.000 fine or 6 month of prison for the union secretaries

Kino Babylon files for disciplinary fine or arrest for disobedience to court orders against FAU Berlin

On January 12, the management of cinema Babylon Mitte filed at the Berlin county court (Landgericht) for a “harsh disciplinary fee or arrest for disobedience to court orders to be carried out against the (...) secretaries” of FAU Berlin.

Last year FAU Berlin had already been baned from using industrial action by court order and had finally been deprived the right to call itsself a “union“ or a “grass-root union”. According to the complainant FAU Berlin contravened those court orders. The punishment might be a disciplinary fine of up to EUR 250.000 (USD 375.000) or alternatively arrest for disobedience to court orders of up to six month.

FAU Berlin secretary Lars Röhm: “As to our opinion this is ipso facto a legal union prohibition, that goes against the constitutional freedom of industrial association and international conventions, such as the ILO ones for instance. Evidently menacing a workers association with imprisonment adds an additional and alarming dimension in respect to human rights to all this. Once more the petition filed by the management illustrates the bosses anti-employee sentiments”

This case of workers beeing urgently menaced with imprisonment for their activism in a workers association, might well me matchless in the labour history of the federal republic of Germany. It illustrates the alarming proportions, the industrial conflict in cinema Babylon Mitte has assumed and which menacing verdicts Berlin courts already returned against FAU Berlin. There are no illusions concerning the latest German jurisdiction. The ipso facto legal union prohibition is obviously based on political reasons and turns into a screaming farce, where FAU Berlin is remotely tabooed from using the term “union” under the arbitrary menace to be indicted at any possible instance.

Behind all this is the evident attempt to muzzle FAU Berlin and to break its organizational strength. That won't get them anywhere. The FAU is tenacious and can count on widespread solidarity. No matter what will be the outcome of this petition - if the managements intention was to impose silence, they will get the contrary. With every step in repression discontent is rising and the situation escalating.

This won't propably slip the attention of the “Linkspartei” 1) and the ver.di trade union that are to be made partly responsible for this situation. They will as well be under the gun to take a stance concerning Babylon and the verdicts, as a part of Grossmans 2) Harakiri. Recognizing FAU Berlin and safeguarding the interests of the shop floor are the only road to de-escalation.

FAU Berlin

For more information:
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Special page concerning 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
FAU Berlin general membership branch
Strassburger Strasse 38 / D-10405 Berlin
fon: +49 30 287 00804
fax: +49 30 287 008 13
mail: faub(a)fau.org