interview

Working conditions at universities “Human and anti-science ”

Status: 06/24/2021 5:03 a.m.

Chain contracts, extra work and a lack of prospects: under the hashtag #IchBinHanna, scientists mobilize against difficult working conditions. At their pressure, the Bundestag is also dealing with the subject today. tagesschau.de: With #IchBinHanna, working conditions in science make it into parliament. How did the hashtag come about? Sebastian Kubon: Until recently, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research had a video on its website in which an animated figure named Hanna explains the legal basis of employment, the Science Contract Act. This is a special right of fixed-term employment that regulates that scientists in Germany can be employed for a maximum of six years before and six years after completing their doctorate. Thereafter, the time limit must be extended. But that doesn’t happen due to a lack of jobs, so most of them are thrown out of the system by then at the latest – with all their qualifications and knowledge that are then lost to science. And in addition to this immense loss for Germany as a research location, there is always a personal fate. If there is such an explanatory video to explain this absurd situation, then in my opinion it is anti-human and anti-science. Therefore, Dr. Amrei Bahr, Dr. Kristin Eichhorn and I give the scientists a face – with the hashtag #IchbBinHanna.

To person Dr. Sebastian Kubon is a research associate at the History Department at the University of Hamburg, currently on parental leave. He is mainly concerned with public history and food history. At the moment, criticism of the German science system is at the center of his commitment. To do this, he and Dr. Amrei Bahr and Dr. Kristin Eichhorn created the hashtag #IchBinHanna.

tagesschau.de: What are your main points of criticism and what are your specific suggestions? Kubon: I hardly know where to start. The short-term contracts are particularly bad. Instead of doing research in peace, you have to keep writing new applications and proposals. We need realistic contract terms, i.e. as long as you actually need for a doctorate, for example. And those who then have a doctorate should be employed on a permanent basis – or at least receive a clear and transparent perspective. In addition, there is a lot of unpaid overtime at universities. Many colleagues only have half jobs – and still work as much as if they had full jobs to keep the business running. We need reliable and sufficient basic funding. This does not always mean more third-party funding, i.e. project-related funds that have to be applied for and raised at great expense.

“Then you shouldn’t get any professors out of time”

tagesschau.de: The Ministry of Education justified the temporary positions by stating that research always needed new impulses. Kubon: This argument that only constant fluctuation creates innovation has been around for decades without ever being scientifically verified. According to this logic, professors should not be deferred. I think that is more of an exaggerated argument. Because it is – at least in the short term – easier and cheaper for young scientists to work unpaid overtime. But this literally burns them up, which is expensive in the long term and not sustainable at all. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about pity. But this system means that important research projects are put to rest, teaching suffers in terms of content and students keep losing contact. Many highly talented people, when asked if they could see themselves in science, wave their thanks. tagesschau.de: Another argument from the Ministry of Education is that if all posts were to be expelled, a single generation would “clog” the system … Kubon: But nobody is asking that all positions be permanent – as far as I know, not even the union. It is about transparent criteria and a concrete perspective: in other words, expiry under the and the circumstances. Surely it cannot be that every new generation has to struggle again and again with precarious working conditions and cannot conduct research properly.

“No wonder that many seek their happiness elsewhere”

tagesschau.de: Is that actually a purely German problem, is it better to deal with young scientists abroad? Kubon: “Offspring” is a terrible term. Some people in their mid-40s are not newcomers, but highly qualified experts who have long had highly paid management positions elsewhere. No wonder that many seek their happiness elsewhere. Foreign universities have already tried to poach German scientists as part of #IchBinHanna. But to come back to the question: Overall, science is a precarious system worldwide. But I cannot judge that in detail. But it would perhaps also be more the job of the ministry to set up a commission to deal with working conditions elsewhere in order to see what one can learn from there. But that would presuppose that deficits are recognized at all in their own country.

Mobilize via Twitter – in response to pressure from academics, the Bundestag is currently dealing with working conditions in research and teaching (archive). Image: picture alliance / Geisler-Fotop

tagesschau.de: Now there is a current hour in the Bundestag today. What do you expect from it? Kubon: I hope that this will bring science back on the political agenda. If it is to provide urgently needed orientation, then we can no longer work under such conditions. But I have the impression that many politicians simply do not know anything about it. Therefore we say: stop – it cannot go on like this. And maybe a few parties will see it as an opportunity to position themselves on questions of science policy.

Workers’ rights, as for everyone else

tagesschau.de: It is the last week of the session, then there will be general elections in September, so there will be no quick solutions. How do you intend to carry the topic forward? Kubon: The Science Contract Act is currently being evaluated. However, the corresponding forms are designed in such a way that I cannot imagine that valid data will come out of them. Nevertheless: The law is on the agenda for the next legislative period. Therefore, the deficits must now be described as precisely as possible in order to propose possible solutions. This is done in the traditional way, i.e. via local programs, party work or unions. But thanks to social media, initiatives can also arise quickly and spontaneously – the success of #IchBinHanna has shown us that. You made the Ministry of Research have to deal with our criticism. And on this point we will not let up: Scientists must have the same employee rights as everyone else. The interview was conducted by Stefan Keilmann, tagesschau.de

Billionaire Elon Musk speaks at an event. Photo: AFP/VNA Tesla Inc CEO, billionaire Elon Musk, on June 13 posted on his personal Twitter page that the electric vehicle maker will accept bitcoin transactions when miners use a lot of energy. more renewable in the operation of “mining” this digital currency. The post of the head of Tesla states: “Once there is confirmation of a reasonable (about 50%) use of clean energy by miners with an upward trend in the future, Tesla will continue to allow bitcoin transactions”. Bitcoin jumped 5.1% to 37,360.63 USD/bitcoin on June 13 following the post of billionaire Elon Musk. The above post comes after the scientific journal Nature recently published a study that found China’s bitcoin “mines” pose a threat to the country’s climate goals. These mines account for nearly 80% of the world’s cryptocurrency transactions and partly use the energy of coal-fired power plants. Billionaire Tesla expressed his belief that digital currency has a promising future, but it cannot come at a hefty price for the environment. In addition, Mr. Musk also reacted to the article raising the possibility that billionaire Elon Musk regularly affects the value of bitcoin in one direction or another for his business benefit. The Tesla chief said that the company sold about 10% of its bitcoin holdings to confirm that the digital currency has easy liquidity without volatility to the market. Earlier in February 2021, Tesla revealed that it had purchased $1.5 billion in bitcoin and would accept it as a form of payment for cars. But in May, billionaire Musk reversed the decision, citing long-standing environmental concerns around mining this coin. Bitcoin dropped more than 10% in value shortly thereafter.

ILO report millions Domestic servants are exploited

Status: 15.06.2021 6:05 p.m.

Working conditions for domestic workers have continued to deteriorate during the corona pandemic, according to a report by the International Labor Organization. Women are most affected. Ten years after a UN Protection Convention was passed, millions of domestic workers are still suffering from exploitation and poor working conditions. The Corona crisis has made the precarious social situation of children, women and men even worse, said the International Labor Organization (ILO) in a report. Many would have lost their jobs during the global pandemic. While, according to the report, the situation for many employees visibly improved before the pandemic, the conditions are now often worse again. ILO Director General Guy Ryder therefore called for all domestic workers to receive fair contracts as well as job and social protection.

06/02/2021

More than a third without protection

More than a third of all 76 million domestic workers had no protection whatsoever, especially in Asia and in Arab countries, according to the ILO chief. According to the information, almost 58 million of the 76 million domestic workers worldwide are women. The ILO, which is part of the United Nations, passed the Convention for the Protection of Domestic Workers in mid-June 2011. It applies to employees who cook, clean, look after children and the elderly and do other work in other households.

05.12.2018

UN convention is ignored

According to the convention, domestic workers should receive a minimum wage, paid rest periods and holidays. They also have a right to secure jobs that do not endanger their health. The agreement also prohibits any form of harassment, abuse and violence. The employees have the right to an employment contract – if the contract is breached, they should be able to sue in court. It is also stated that domestic workers under the age of 18 enjoy special protection. However, the regulations made in the UN Convention are often ignored. Domestic workers are often employed informally and so cannot exercise their rights.

Supply Chain Act What Bangladesh workers hope for

Status: 11.06.2021 11:59 a.m.

With the supply chain law, textile workers in Bangladesh now expect concrete improvements in their job conditions – in an industry for which millions of people work. Peter Hornung, ARD studio South Asia Anju Begum expects a lot from the German supply chain law. “ Once this law is in place, we will be able to take maternity leave with financial benefits, including overtime pay and other facilities, “she says.” We want this law to be implemented. ” Begum is a brave woman. She is 57 and has been working in a textile factory called Jesus Fashion Limited in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka for twelve years. She has been elected head of the works council several times, most recently three months ago.

“Always threatened with dismissal”

“We are facing a lot of difficulties,” says Anju Begum. “The factory doesn’t have enough work. That’s why we’re always threatened with firing. The management has repeatedly postponed our demands and unsolved problems.” Now the workforce is exerting pressure on the factory owner through the trade unions – which is now also having an effect. The head of the works council was actually able to achieve a lot for the workers: clean drinking water, functioning fans so that work is bearable even now in the heat, and emergency exits that are no longer blocked as they used to be. But there are many things that are not so easy to enforce. Anju believes that the fact that there is now a lever that can be used with German customers changes a lot.

Most of the time women work in the factories

“Once this law is in place, we will be able to share our complaints with buyers when they visit,” she says. “You will also find out that we have been informed of the new law.” Four and a half million people work in Bangladesh’s clothing industry, most of them women. The collapse of the Rana Plaza building eight years ago highlighted the conditions in the textile factories. More than 1100 people were killed at that time. The German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) says that things have improved a lot since then. There are new laws that are also being enforced. Nevertheless, the country still lags behind international standards in many ways. And that’s why the new German law is raising high hopes in Bangladesh – including Kalpona Akter, one of the country’s best-known worker activists.

New possibility of lawsuits

“ A supply chain law like this is really necessary in order to really hold companies accountable, “says Akter.” For us as a union, there is currently no way of holding German companies responsible. With such a law, we could also sue companies in Germany. That would be very, very helpful and would open a new window for the protection of the workers. ” However, the factory owners are much less enthusiastic, but they do not want to speak in front of the microphone. In conversation with the ARD – Studio South Asia says a manager that he is anything but comfortable with the new law – precisely because the possibilities for legal action for the workers’ representatives would be significantly expanded. In addition, it is to be feared that German customers will now put increased pressure on them.

Hard working conditions “Bitter” strawberries from Spain

Status: 10.06.2021 10:56 a.m. The seasonal workers on site receive only a fraction of the price paid in Germany for strawberries from Spain. The strawberry farmers say: The supermarkets are pushing the price. By Reinhard Spiegelhauer, ARD studio Madrid Strawberries as far as the eye can see and an intense fragrance that is so strong that it is almost unpleasant. A small refrigerated truck is parked on the way between the fields. Two dozen of a good 100,000 seasonal workers stand between the green beds, pecking the bright red fruits during the season. “It’s difficult in Morocco,” says the single mother Fatima. As a harvest helper, the Moroccan receives the equivalent of only six and a half euros per day in her home country – over 40 in Spain. Fatima canceled the agreed on-site interview that morning. She answers the questions via voicemail. Because her boss told her she couldn’t just talk to journalists.

“We don’t know what our wages are”

Is there any other pressure? Yes, she says, anyone who collects a battered strawberry will be sent home or even not allowed to work for a whole day.

We don’t even know what the wages are. Some say 42 euros, others 40 euros. “No, no,” says Manuel Reina from the farmers’ association in the shadow of the refrigerated truck. Everyone would be treated properly. The strawberry farmers even provided free apartments:

If individuals do not adhere to the guidelines, then it’s like in politics, the police or administration. A few black sheep cannot be used to identify the entire province of Huelva. A Moroccan harvest worker harvesting strawberries in Cartaya, archive image. Image: Julian Perez / EPA-EFE / Shutterstoc

Union speaks of exploitation

Trade unionist José Antonio Brazo from the Andalusian Workers’ Union frowns. A few kilometers further on, from a railway embankment, he looks out over the endless sea of ​​greenhouses. Silvery shiny plastic film to the horizon. The collective wage is systematically not paid, says Brazo. “We’re talking about exploitation here. In every village here there is a figure of Mary who is venerated – but in reality everyone worships the mammon.” In fact, a study by the Löning sustainability consultancy in Berlin found that harvest workers are often poorly paid.

Study: Supermarkets’ price dictation

Manuel Reina from the farmers’ association defends himself: Actually, the farmers are the “pinched” ones. You take all the risk, he complains. They would have to advance everything and would not get a reasonable price for their product. Farmers hardly see anything of what consumers pay for. One to one and a half euros per kilo of strawberries that went over the counter in the supermarket for six euros. The price dictation is also discussed in the Berlin study. For trade unionist José Antonio Brazo it is clear:

The red fruits, the strawberries, they are no longer sweet, but bitter.

Rheinmetall will initially produce Lynx for the US military under a signed contract, then the products will be exported to friendly countries. When officially equipped, this will be the most advanced vehicle in the US Army and they are used to replace the Bradley fighting vehicle that is serving in this country’s army. Lynx combat vehicle. The Lynx combat vehicle is designed with a Rheinmetall LANCE modular turret equipped with a 30mm or 35mm automatic cannon with range stabilization and remote control. The turret and cannon are designed to allow the gunner to destroy the target from a maximum distance of 3,000m. The vehicle is equipped with an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) missile system, a remote weapon control system, and a 3-barreled 7.62mm RMG7.62 coaxial machine gun. The secondary control weapon system is connected to the vehicle’s optoelectronic sighting system. The turret is equipped with two systems of electro-optical sights (EO), including a sighting system and a photoelectric sensor fitted with a stabilization system (SEOSS), integrated with a laser rangefinder, a Fire control system (FCS), SEOSS sighting system for the main weapon of the vehicle. Each EO sighting system can be used by the commander and the gunner, and the commander’s sight system allows for a panoramic view of the battlefield regardless of turret movement. The turret can be fitted with an enhanced situational awareness system (SAS) for the vehicle commander’s sight, a laser irradiation warning system (LWS), a turret independently controlled weapon mount, a turret enemy warhead sound identification system and C4I battlefield network command and control system. The gun fire control system, the LANCE turret digital coaxial machine gun allows the firing range to have almost absolute accuracy, a speed of 200 rounds/min. To enhance its survivability on the battlefield, Lynx is equipped with multi-layer armor plates, capable of blocking anti-tank projectiles, armor-piercing projectiles of various calibers, shrapnel, and homemade anti-tank mines (IEDs) ) and aviation bombs. The interior of the vehicle is also fitted with a spall-enhanced lining to protect crew members in conditions of armor penetration. The vehicle is enhanced with weapons that neutralize the shock waves of mines and homemade IED weapons, the seats are in a suspended state to reduce maximum casualties from mines under the vehicle. The vehicle can also be equipped with the option of an active defense system, a camouflage system, etc. All of these equipment are currently quite foreign to existing combat vehicles in the US military.

From May 11, 2021, Vietnam Airlines will raise the standards of Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control for all domestic flights. Specifically, the main measures taken by Vietnam Airlines to ensure the safety of the disease include: Strictly check the medical declaration and measure the passenger body temperature before the flight; refusing to carry passengers with unusual manifestations of health; installing a disinfection mat at the boarding gate; arranging flight crews to move around the airport and between the airport – city by separate vehicle; ensure passengers and flight crew wear masks throughout the journey; providing antibacterial towels for passengers on the flight; aircraft disinfection at the end of the day and regular maintenance of the HEPA air filter. To support passengers wishing to exchange and refund tickets due to the impact of epidemics, from May 10, 2021, Vietnam Airlines has implemented a support policy for tickets purchased in the Vietnamese market and has a refund itinerary. all inland. Passengers can refer to the ticket exchange and refund policy here. In order to save time for passengers, currently, Vietnam Airlines has implemented the feature to help passengers proactively cancel their seats, exchange tickets and refund tickets to vouchers right on the website, at the Manage booking section located on the homepage. Vietnam Airlines notes that for passengers who do not plan to travel with a reserved flight, before carrying out the procedures for exchanging or refunding tickets, passengers need to cancel their booking to avoid loss of booking fee. The valid cancellation time is at least 3 hours before the departure time indicated on the ticket. In particular, Vietnam Airlines offers free refunds for passengers who choose to convert tickets to vouchers with 100% of the refund value. This voucher can be used to buy flight tickets, checked baggage and other additional services of Vietnam Airlines. Step 1: Access to https://www.bluezone.gov.vn or directly download at App Store or Play Store. Step 2: Once downloaded, the app will ask for Bluetooth permission to record contact with other Bluezone installed users. If Bluetooth isn’t open, drag the status notification bar and turn on Bluetooth; Or go to Settings, select Bluetooth and turn it on. Step 3: After the installation is complete, click Scan Around. If someone near you less than 2m has used Bluezone, the app will automatically identify these users and put them on the contact list.

From Kerstin Anabah and Gigi Deppe, ARD legal editors The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations sued Postbank. He considers certain clauses with which the bank can change its general terms and conditions to be ineffective. The background: Many customers do not even notice when their bank changes the fine print. You only feel that, for example, fees are suddenly being debited for a free account or that other services of the financial institution are becoming more expensive. Although they have received an announcement from the bank that the contract should be changed, very few delve into the small print. Most of the customer’s contracts say: We will send you an announcement two months in advance. And if you do not object, then that counts as consent. Then our contract is changed.

Clauses not transparent enough

However, the Federal Association for Consumer Centers does not consider such clauses to be transparent enough. They did not reveal the reason for the change in the general terms and conditions, nor did they indicate the limits. The association therefore demands that the clauses may no longer be used. “What bothers us about the clauses is that they are simply far too intransparent for the customer,” explains David Bode from the federal association. “When the contract is concluded, he cannot foresee where the journey will go for him.” Ultimately, these clauses could also be misused to turn them into a completely different contract, says Bode: “I can turn a free account into a paid account, I can force certain software on the customer to use online banking.”

Decision of the lower courts

However, the Cologne Regional Court initially dismissed the consumer advocate’s complaint. The federal association was also unsuccessful at the Cologne Higher Regional Court. In the opinion of the judges of the OLG, the clauses correspond to the legal requirements. The relevant European legal regulations provide for the possibility of such tacit consent by customers. Therefore, banks may also agree on these in general terms and conditions. Because of its fundamental importance, however, the judges allowed the appeal to the Federal Court of Justice. In addition, there was a legal hint from Luxembourg. The European Court of Justice, the highest court in the EU, decided a case from Austria last November and gave the general direction: The small print of the banks can certainly be checked by the courts to see whether it disadvantages customers. That was the reason for the Federal Court of Justice, Germany’s highest civil court, to take a closer look at whether it is okay for the bank to change a contract without the express consent of the customer.

Judgment of the Federal Court of Justice

The BGH today announced a judgment in favor of consumers. In the opinion of the federal judges, such clauses are generally ineffective. The banks could introduce extensive changes to contracts, for example also in savings contracts, without the customers having to give their express consent. That would contradict the basic idea of ​​the law. Such clauses would unduly disadvantage consumers. As a result of the ruling, numerous credit institutions will now have to change their clauses. The lawyer of the defendant financial institution, Postbank, had pointed out that it was a mass business for the financial institutions and raised the question of how it should be implemented in practice if every individual customer had to give his consent to changed conditions. The Federal Court of Justice pointed out, however, that the previous rule gave the banks too much power. They could completely change contracts in this way: “For example, the bank could recruit customers with free current accounts or free custody accounts and, after they have concluded a contract with it, introduce account management fees or custody fees using the disputed clause,” said the presiding judge Jürgen Ellenberger . In the future, most bank customers will certainly get more mail from their financial institution. However, it has not yet been determined whether many customers will really say no to a contract change when asked. Because the bank may then try to terminate the contract.

Flag of the European Union at headquarters in Belgium. Photo: Reuters Reuters recently released a document showing that the European Union (EU) will introduce a series of conditions that force the transport, industry and construction industries to meet in order to be classified into the category. Sustainable investments in Europe. Besides, the EU has yet to decide whether to label gas and nuclear power as a “green” label. According to the document, the EU’s “sustainable financial classification” is a long list of economic activities and regulations that industries must meet in order to be labeled as a sustainable investment in the EU from 2022. This landmark regulation aims to make “green” activities more attractive to investors, while at the same time ensuring that a sustainable investment label is only granted to economic activities that comply. meeting the EU’s targets on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Natural gas is not mentioned in the draft regulations. European nations are divided over whether gas-fired power plants should be considered “green”, and the European Commission (EC) plans to tackle the fuel issue, along with electricity. kernel, in a separate proposal later this year or not. Draft regulations on “green labeling” include detailed definitions of what is considered sustainable investment in different sectors including transportation, energy generation from sources such as wind. and hydroelectricity, building rehabilitation and manufacturing of cement, steel and batteries. For example, emissions at cement plants must be below 0.72 tons CO2 equivalent to each ton of gray cement produced. Meanwhile, car production from now until the end of 2025 will be considered a sustainable investment if these vehicles emit less than 50g of CO2 per km. After 2025, only the production of zero-emission cars will be green-labeled./.

RIA quoted Peskov as saying: “On the territory of Ukraine, reducing the escalation of tensions in Donbass can only be achieved if the Ukrainian Armed Forces stop military provocations”.

It is known that on April 13, US President Joe Biden had a phone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the conversation, Mr. Biden especially expressed concern about the Russian military’s increased military presence in Crimea and on the border with Ukraine.

The Kremlin cites conditions for de-escalation of tensions in Donbass. Photo: RIA

President Biden stressed the US’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Besides, President Biden has proposed to his Putin counterpart to hold a summit in a third country in the near future.

Concerning developments, in the last weeks of March, parties to the conflict in Ukraine accused each other of violating the ceasefire and transferring military equipment to the communication line.

“The Kremlin is concerned that a civil war will continue in Ukraine. If civil war and large-scale hostilities continue near our borders, it would pose a threat to Russia’s security, ”Peskov said.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, when referring to the issue of “pulling troops” to the Ukrainian border, he stressed that Russia is operating on its own territory and that these military measures are necessary, and do not disturb foreign partners.