In the UK, trade unions have already achieved a great deal, says Kate Bell of the Trades Union Congress. There are higher minimum wages, better contractual safeguards and new protection against sexual harassment. These measures show working conditions can be changed when political pressure and organising efforts come together. Bell emphasises that this is not just about symbolic recognition, but about concrete rights such as continued pay during illness and binding safety standards. Social democracy must drive such steps forward, specifically and globally. -nk

Katrin Rulle

Johanna Siebert, DPZ, presents the findings of her study. Forty interviews with workers show which professions keep society running – and how little recognition they receive for their work. Many of these jobs are seen as easily replaceable, even as the workers are often employed in precarious conditions, with low pay and lacking protection. Fewer than 10% of the people she talked with thought politicians can solve their problems today, she says. Trust in politics has been severely shaken. Social democracy must find ways to tangibly improve working conditions and regain lost trust, she tells attendees in the Frida Kahlo Room. The aim is to put recognition, rights and security back in central focus. -nk

Katrin Rulle

Who cleans your office at night? Who puts fresh food on supermarket shelves each day? In a short documentary, “The Indispensables,” cleaner Güven Ciftci, care worker Cynthia Würpel and DHL parcel delivery driver Khaleel Al Bodach take viewers behind the scenes of their daily working lives. Often unseen, our society nonetheless would not function without their work.  You can find the film, in German, on YouTube.-fw

Katrin Rulle