"Space for Care" campaign also in Frankfurt am Main

We also took part in the "Space for Care" campaign in Frankfurt am Main with the feminist strike collective. There were several militant lunch breaks in care facilities in the week before 8 March in front of the university hospital, the youth and social welfare office and the daycare centre of an independent provider. The demands of the employees, which we collected during the lunch breaks, were then presented at a creative occupation of the square together with an audio collage on unpaid work in Frankfurt am Main on 8 March at the Hauptwache in the city centre. The audio collage can be listened to here A total of around 200 people aged from 14 to well over 60 took part in the actions. During the rally and also during the lunch breaks, there were numerous opportunities to join in and so the whole square was decorated with chalk and a washing line presented the feminist demands for 8 March to passers-by and invited them to exchange ideas and discuss them. The reasons for the strike could also be written down and exchanged. Many care workers shared with us what they have experienced in their workplace since the start of the pandemic: Uncertainty, excessive demands, restructuring, distance, frustration and contact restrictions. And there was also a lot that made care workers angry:

• Division, e.g. corona bonus not paid for everyone
• Preferential treatment of male job applicants with the same qualifications
• Growing resentment (among the population) is affecting those who help, care and nurture, which is unfair!

We also asked, how should it be? What do you want? And this is what the care workers would like to see change:

• Respect
• Equal pay
• Gender equality!
• No more discrimination!!!
• No more sexist comments at work
• Support for single parents
• the same future opportunities for all!

Problems that were raised several times by care workers included underpayment in the care professions and the double/triple burden of paid work, family care and housework. Subsequently, they demanded, among other things

• More financial support and valorisation of private care work
• Equality (of the sexes) in the workplace
• More parity at management levels
• Compatibility of family (work) and career

Because 8 March is the day of the feminist strike for us, striking was also a topic we talked about. The employees in the care companies would go on feminist strike for this:

• Better pay
• appreciation
• More staff
• Recognition of shift work/weekends
• 30-hour week with full pay compensation.

Further actions are planned for the Platz für Sorge campaign, including in the childcare and social services sector when a round of collective bargaining is due. The feminist strike collective would also like to continue networking with workplace activists from care organisations. Because only together can we assert our feminist strike demands on the streets, at work and at home! More information about the feminist strike collective Frankfurt and further action photos can be found here. And a short action film from Platz für Sorge in Frankfurt under the motto "This is our place" can be found here.