“Alternative for Germany” against German trade unions: A political “right hook”

Abstract

The study examines the problems of German trade unions related to the ongoing confrontation with the young party of the right-wing spectrum “Alternative for Germany” for several years. Despite the fact that the AfD is an irreconcilable ideological opponent of trade unions, their members show sympathy for the party. The severity of the situation is due not only to the fact that more than a tenth of supporters of professional associations support the AfD in elections, but also to the fact that, as a percentage, trade union members vote more actively for this party than the average German voter. The reasons for the growth of right-wing sentiments among the class of employees are considered. The methods used by trade unions in the ideological struggle are shown, up to direct prohibitions for their supporters on parallel membership in the AfD. In this situation, the trade unions have clearly demonstrated themselves as an independent political actor, but, in our opinion, they have become the losing side in the fight against the AfD. The authors complement existing approaches to the study of the problems of the functioning of German trade unions in the political process in Germany.

Keywords

• german trade unions
• political actors
• political struggle
• right-wing populism