Ahead of an info-event on illegal employment practices in Dresden’s gastronomy sector, the Grassroots Union Food and Gastromy (BNG), section of the Free Workers Union (FAU), today visited the Café V-Cake on the Rothenburger Straße Dresden. The union accuses the company of undermining labour rights through pseudo self-employment.
About 25 trade unionists gathered unannounced in front of the restaurant today to point out the problem of pseudo self-employment in gastronomy. In the speeches, attention was drawn to the way in which this practice is used to deny employees protection against dismissal, holidays, security in the event of illness and many other rights.
Wolf Meyer, spokesman for BNG-FAU: “The consequences also affect you as a customer: Anyone with precarious employment who does not enjoy continued payment of wages in the event of illness will also have to prepare food very infectiously. Meyer also addressed the subject: “The rightlessness of pseudo self-employed people is so fundamental that a pregnant people can be dismissed from one day to the next! This reminds us of the times of early capitalism.”
There was a lot of support and interest from passers-by. In addition, some passers-by recognized their own work situation in the descriptions of working conditions at V-Cake.
After the 2 hour rally the BNG invited to an information event for all workers. Here the legal situation for those affected was explained in detail. Together with the roughly 20 interested people, a discussion was then held on how to fight such working conditions in the individual companies. The BNG-FAU invites all affected employees and workers from other sectors to get in touch and organise together. “We are one step further when those responsible change their practices or have shut down. Such dumping puts competitive pressure on all those companies that want to do better,” says Meyer.
