Published May 1, 2025last updated May 1, 2025Some 5,500 people are rallying at Berlin’s Town Hall as Labor Day events kick off around the country. DW has more.
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The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) holds a rally in the capital, Berlin — one of many events to be held throughout GermanyImage: Andreas Friedrichs/IMAGOSkip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to know Germany marks Labor Day with rallies, including a large event in Berlin Majority of Germans support cutting benefits to new Ukraine refugees Germany home to some of the world’s highest paid CEOs This is a roundup of news from Germany on Thursday, May 1.
Skip next section Germans support cutting benefits to new Ukraine refugeesMay 1, 2025
Germans support cutting benefits to new Ukraine refugeesMore than three out of four Germans support cutting the benefits given to newly arrived Ukrainians.
Germany’s new government has said it plans on awarding Ukrainians who arrive in Germany from April 1, 2025, the same benefits as asylum seekers.
Asylum seeker payments are considerably less than the €563 (roughly $637.8) a month refugees from Ukraine currently receive under the so-called “citizen’s assistance” or “Bürgergeld” payment scheme.
According to a YouGov survey carried out for Germany’s DPA press agency, 77% of people said they were in favor of the change.
Only 11% said the move was wrong.
Some 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees, more than a quarter of those who fled Russia’s war in Ukraine for elsewhere in Europe, live in Germany.
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Skip next section Outgoing Chancellor Scholz calls for decent wages, strong unionsMay 1, 2025
Outgoing Chancellor Scholz calls for decent wages, strong unionsOutgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has voiced his support for workers and trade unions.
“There are still far too many people who have to work hard for too little money,” Scholz posted on X on Labor Day.
“That is why I support decent wages and strong trade unions. They are vital for the social cohesion of our country. That’s what May 1 is all about!”
The chancellor’s center-left Social Democrats have long-standing ties to organized labor groups.
Scholz is set to leave office next week and be replaced by Friedrich Merz, the leader of the conservative Christian Democrats.
https://p.dw.com/p/4toW8
Skip next section Germany has some of the highest paid CEOs in the world: Oxfam May 1, 2025
Germany has some of the highest paid CEOs in the world: Oxfam Germany is home to some of the world’s highest-paid CEOs, according to a newly released analysis by the international charity Oxfam.
CEOs at Germany’s top companies earned an average of €4.4 million (roughly $5 million) a year in 2024, the analysis found.
But the salaries paid to top managers in Germany surged significantly in real terms — by 21% — in the five years to 2024.
This is 30 times more than average worker wages grew in the same time period, Oxfam says.
The salaries of CEOs are “completely disconnected from the wage development of normal employees, who are increasingly outgrowing their cost of living,” said Leonie Petersen from Oxfam Germany in a statement.
“This increasingly serious inequality is also a threat to our democracy,” she said.
Oxfam released the analysis on the eve of May 1, celebrated in many parts of the world as Labor Day or International Workers’ Day.
https://p.dw.com/p/4toBv
Skip next section Germany marks Labor Day with rallies, eventsMay 1, 2025
Germany marks Labor Day with rallies, eventsTo mark Labour Day, trade unions and other organizations are holding hundreds of rallies and events throughout Germany.
The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) wants to appeal to employees to campaign for higher wages and better working conditions under the slogan “Make yourself strong with us!”
According to police, some 5,500 people are taking part in a rally in Berlin in front of the Rotes Rathaus town hall.
People walk down a street in Berlin holding a banner with the motto of the German Trade Union Confederation: ‘Make yourself strong with us’ or ‘Mach dich stark mit uns’Image: Andreas Friedrichs/IMAGO Police asked the German capital’s residents to take into consideration expected traffic disruptions due to the rallies, saying some 1,400 emergency responders have been deployed.
It’s just one of 36 different Labor Day events taking place in the capital on this warm and sunny May 1.
It is a public holiday in Germany, as is the case in many parts of Europe.
In Cottbus, people held a different kind of Labor Day rally — on bicyclesImage: Frank Hammerschmidt/dpa/picture alliance https://p.dw.com/p/4tnyk
Skip next section Welcome to our Germany coverageMay 1, 2025
Welcome to our Germany coverageKate Hairsine | Rana Taha
Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets across Germany, demanding higher wages and social security at Labor Day events.
We’ll bring you updates and pictures from the rallies as they happen. This blog will also provide you with the latest happenings in Germany, be it political, social or cultural news.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tnyj
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