Recents

“When We Asked For Severance Pay, He Called Us Criminals”: War of Attrition Continues Between Unionized Delivery Riders and Failed EcoCarrier Boss

The protest continues at the upcoming court date and public rally on May 16th

BERLIN, GERMANY, MAY 12, 2023 – The prolonged battle between boss of the failed company EcoCarrier, Raimund Rassillier, and the employees who lost their jobs in a mass layoff continues into its 5th month.

The workers, despite being accused by Rassillier in an e-mail communication dated April 6 of “systemic working time fraud” and “further criminal acts,” are undeterred and continue to battle him in court rigorously. FAU Berlin sees these baseless accusations as a classic tactic to justify his avoidance of further negotiations.

The dismissed workers of EcoCarrier AG Berlin have joined forces and are fighting together against the legal violations of their former company. Since January, they have been protesting through letters to management, public protests, and lawsuits due to missing wages and against wrongful termination in labor court. Their goals, once secure working conditions and fair compensation, are now focused on recognition of the legal violations by EcoCarrier AG, payment of unpaid wages, and severance payments. Large companies in the delivery sector seem to see labor law violations and missing wage payments as part of their business model, as these occur regularly. EcoCarrier AG, which advertises fair working conditions and a focus on sustainability and eco-friendly deliveries, appears to rely on these legal violations as well. This practice must be exposed publicly because it targets the most vulnerable and precarious members of our society, who often do not have the resources to defend themselves.

The outcome of lawsuits is uncertain, bureaucratic obstacles must be overcome along the way, and the accused companies continue to defend themselves with all available means. In the case of EcoCarrier AG, in the litigation and out-of-court negotiations, the company and its CEO Raimund Rassillier now seem to be relying on the tactic of delay – seven court dates have been post-poned, and negotiations with the workers and representatives of the FAU Berlin union have not yet reached a conclusion. Nevertheless, the former workers continue to stand together in defense of their rights and invite everyone to the upcoming conciliation hearing of three former workers on May 16, 2023, at the Berlin labor court.

Timeline

• 09.01.2023 – First demand letter to management sent, addressing the problems in the company and demanding severance pay for all terminated workers and a raise in salary for the remaining workers. • 16.01.2023 – Second letter to management sent, announcing that workers are now organizing under FAU Berlin, addressing that we did not receive an answer from them and that we will make our case public. • 10.02.2023 – Third letter to the management sent, including information about the intention to inform the public. • 15.02.2023 – Official press statement sent. • 16.02.2023 – First court support action. • 24.02.2023 – Larger court support & demo/rallye. • 08.04.2023 – Demo in front of REWE next to the Rollberg distribution center • Held court hearings with court support from colleagues on site 02.03, 07.03., 13.03., 14.03., 28.03., 30.03., 12.4.

Upcoming events–please join us!

• 16.05.2023 – Court hearing of three former courier drivers of EcoCARRIER AG
12:00 Meeting point for colleagues and people in solidarity in front of the labour court, short drama: insight into the everyday life of a delivery bike courier
13:00 Court date • Upcoming court dates with support from local colleagues on 5.05., 8.05., 16.05., 22.06., 20.09., 19.10.

We invite you to attend the upcoming events and are happy to offer interviews both at the events and at any other time convenient. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

###

Statement on Murder at a Bordello from the Sex Work Section

It is well-established fact that, throughout history, murderers target sex workers because of law enforcement’s tendency not to investigate too closely and because we are seen as socially disposable. Even in 2023, many people believe that, by working in this precarious field, we are “asking for it.”

The death of a woman found murdered on 17 April inside a brothel in Friedrichshain concerns us as sex workers and our union gravely. Even with the ProstituiertenSchutzGesetz in full effect for 6 years, there is little to no protection for people working in the sex trade, a situation being taken advantage of by malevolent people. As a union, we are aware of the unsafe and isolating working conditions maintained by managers and the law.

We call for a thorough investigation into what conditions made this murder possible and to finally take action on improving the legal rights and working and living conditions of sex workers. For a long time, sex workers have been vocal about concrete steps they need in order to improve the situation, but with barely any reaction or commitment from the city’s officials or lawmakers’ side. Too often, we are not being listened to, left on our own and all we can do is take care of another.

No one deserves to go to work wondering if this is the day they will be attacked or murdered. We too, deserve to work and live in safety.

We mourn our lost colleagues. We are heartbroken that yet another woman was killed. It is awful and gut-wrenching, how familiar and frequent this mourning is. With this statement, FAU Berlin and its Sex Worker Section call for the people in this city, decision makers, workplace managers and society as a whole to do better. We are watching the police’s investigation with intense attention. If you treat us as disposable, you will give us no choice but to act.

###

OWNER OF FAILED “ECO-FRIENDLY” DELIVERY COMPANY AVOIDS NEGOTIATIONS AS LAID OFF RIDERS FIGHT HIM IN COURT AND IN THE STREETS

Workers fight back as their demands continue to be rejected by management

BERLIN, GERMANY, 3 APRIL 2023 – After a mass layoff and ceasing operations in Berlin, CEO Raimund Rassilier has not yet returned to the negotiation table with the fired workers of EcoCarrier. In a continuing effort to obtain severance pay and other basic considerations from management, the workers will protest in front of Rewe on Rollbergstr. 59 on Easter Saturday to pressure it to cease using EcoCarrier in its operations across Germany.

In December, a long struggle with management ended in mass dismissals for the workers of EcoCarrier. The workers stood by the company despite being endangered by malfunctioning equipment and taking on crucial administrative tasks after site supervisors left the company after experiencing burnout in the face of insurmountably bad working conditions. Having promised a brighter future for EcoCarrier employees in November, the company delayed written contracts, paid workers irregularly, and illegaly deregistered them from health insurance. Shortly after a Betriebsrat election, Rassilier announced to the workers that the Berlin branch would be shut down.

After rescheduling 7 court hearings, Rassillier finally came to negotiate with the workers and their representatives with the trade union FAU Berlin. While this negotiation at times looked hopeful, in the end, no commitment was made to the workers, and Rassilier has canceled the second round of negotiations. He has yet to confirm when negotiations will resume. The dismissed riders continue to fight for wages and severance pay in the courts and at an upcoming demonstration.

Timeline

• 09.01.2023 – First demand letter to management sent, addressing the problems in the company and demanding severance pay for all terminated workers and a raise in salary for the remaining workers.

• 16.01.2023 – Second letter to management sent, announcing that workers are now organizing under FAU Berlin, addressing that we did not receive an answer from them and that we will make our case public.

• 10.02.2023 – Third letter to the management sent, including information about the intention to inform the public. • 15.02.2023 – Official press statement sent.

• 16.02.2023 – First court support action.

• 24.02.2023 – Larger court support & demo/rally

• Held court hearings with court support from colleagues on site 02.03, 07.03., 13.03., 14.03, 28.03., 30.03.

Pressmaterial

• Radiointerview at radiounrecht FM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8US4fF4JQE

• Interview at junge Welt: https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/446098.blut-f%C3%BCr-profite-wir-haben-unsere-gesundheit-aufs-spiel-gesetzt.html

Upcoming events – please join us!

• 08.04.2023 – Demo in front of REWE next to the Rollberg distribution center 13:00 Rollbergstr. 59, 12053 Berlin / Neukölln 16:15 Picnic at Tempelhofer Feld

• Upcoming court hearings with court support from colleagues on site on 12.04., 20.06., 22.06.

We invite you to attend the upcoming events and are happy to offer interviews both at the events and at any other time convenient. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

————————————————————————————————————————————

16 February, 2023

1 December, 2022

Psychische Gesundheit braucht gute Rahmenbedingungen – und zwar für Klientinnen sowie Psychotherapeutinnen!

Die Psychotherapeutinnen in Ausbildung (PiA) leiden durch die enorm gestiegenen Lebenshaltungskosten und die pandemiebedingte finanzielle und gesundheitliche Unsicherheit noch mehr als bisher unter ihren Arbeitsbedingungen. Die PiA der DGVT-Ausbildungszentrum Berlin für Psychologische Psychotherapie mit Psychotherapeutischer Ambulanz Berlin (MAPP Berlin GmbH) planen etwas bisher noch nie da Gewesenes: einen Aktionstag für bessere Arbeitsbedingungen am Institut! Mit den leeren Ambulanzen und der Info-/Fortbildungsveranstaltung vor dem Institut am 01.12.22 wollen die PiAs ein Zeichen setzen und ihrer Forderung nach einer faireren Honorierung Nachdruck verleihen.

Das ist revolutionär, da PiAs an den Ausbildungsinstituten (nach dem fünfjährigen Psychologiestudium) eine Doppelrolle haben: Einerseits gelten sie als selbstständig und können damit nicht den regulären Gewerkschaftsweg zu Tarifverhandlungen gehen. Andererseits gelten sie als weisungsgebunden. Das bedeutet, dass das Institut, die MAPP Berlin GmbH, sich gegenüber PiA verhält, als ob sie eine reguläre Arbeitgeberin sei – indem sie unter anderem willkürlich die Weitergabe des an sie gezahlten Krankenkassen-Honorars bestimmt. PiA tragen eine hohe Verantwortung für Ihre Patientinnen und müssen dennoch während ihrer Ausbildungszeit (mindestens 3,5 Jahren, in der Regel deutlich länger) unter Hartz-4 Niveau leben (über zwei Jahre Ambulanzzeit im Monat durchschnittlich ca. 600€). Und das nach einem jahrelangen Psychologiestudium.

Die PiA der DGVT Berlin (MAPP Berlin GmbH) fordern 52% der von den Kassen gezahlten Sätzen für ihre Arbeit. Obwohl 60% in einer Umfrage als angemessen empfunden werden, sind die Forderungen bereits als Kompromiss mit dem Ausbildungsinstitut angepasst worden.

Bisherige Schritte beinhalteten wiederholte Gespräche sowie den Vorschlag, die Einnahmen und Ausgaben der MAPP Berlin GmbH von einer unabhängigen Stelle begutachten zu lassen, um zu prüfen, ob eine höhere Vergütung der PiA möglich wäre. Bisher gestalteten sich die Verhandlungen schwierig. Dennoch konnte ein erster Erfolg erzielt werden – eine feste Weitergabe in allen psychotherapeutischen Leistungen von mindestens 45% (Anstatt wie bisher 45€ (von 103,87€) für eine Therapiesitzung). Dennoch bedeutet das für die PiA weiterhin keine effektive Verbesserung der Situation, da sie von diesem Honorar noch hohe Kosten für die Theorieausbildung, Supervision, Selbsterfahrung, etc. bezahlen müssen. Deshalb wir die Leitung nochmals aufgefordert, auf die Forderungen der PiA einzugehen.

Es würde die PiA sehr freuen, wenn Sie über das Vorhaben und die Umsetzung des Aktionstags berichten würden – aufgrund der bestehenden Abhängigkeit vom Institut – bitte unbedingt unter Wahrung der Anonymität der Ansprechpartnerinnen. Eine Offenlegung der Identität könnte für die Betroffenen massive Auswirkungen auf ihre Prüfungen am Institut haben.

Für weitere Details ist das Positionspapier der PiA der MAPP Berlin GmbH angehängt. Für Fragen stehe ich gern zur Verfügung und vermittle nach Bedarf gern Ansprechpartnerinnen.

Es würde mich freuen, von Ihnen zu hören.