The spread of the corona virus has been preoccupying us all every day for weeks, and in the meantime the limitations of public life are also being felt. If you are still allowed to walk through the streets, you can hardly hear conversations off the beaten track. And that is understandable. There has never been such a pandemic in our globalised world before. It shows us how fast it can go and how little we are prepared. When the virus first appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan Province in China, everyone probably thought: “Well, China is far away and not Europe”. But the virus is not interested in borders and so it travelled with our global transfer structures to almost all parts of the world and dug its way into the last corner of our societies. Europe, which at first felt well prepared and weighed in security, was quickly taught a better lesson by first cases. Europe became the center of the expansion, which is mainly due to the fact that Europeans*, privileged by their passport and finances (at least a considerable part), can travel everywhere. Of course, globally networked work structures also play a major role.
Now the virus is here and spreads fast. At first, the reaction was to concentrate back on the nation states. Borders were closed, measures were decided and implemented in nation-states alone. The European project and European solidarity and solidarity in general were put on hold for the time being.
The motto seemed to be: Everyone is closest to himself. Even after the first shock, we see that solidarity has its limits and these ends mainly at national borders (or even at the borders of countries) and vital materials are reluctantly shared with the European neighboring states. There is hoarding, deliveries are intercepted or stopped. Within the border, the propaganda is simultaneously: “We are all in the same boat”. The “we-
feeling” rises and everyone reflects back on national cohesion. But who are “we” and are “we” really in the same boat or are there not rather small, rusty cutters and large luxury liners? The virus itself knows no social class, the crisis does. When the term “home office” was on everyone’s lips in the first few days, it was clear that this debate was being led by people who were able to work in this way. And that of course excludes most precarious jobs. Shop assistants, factory workers, hairdressers. The vast majority of jobs cannot be done from home. But this was not part of the debate at first. Only later did it become apparent that workers on the assembly line are particularly at risk because a minimum distance cannot be maintained. But the jobs must be continued, all for the profit. Here we have to take a look at automation of jobs, which was missed. And why was it missed? This is only to a limited extent due to a lack of technical skills. The argument is that jobs should be secured. But there is another reason behind it. Automation is not worth it, because cheap labour, which can be exploited properly, is more profitable. We could all survive this crisis better if many jobs were automated. Then those who are now doing them would not be at risk of contagion. Of course, automation would have to go hand in hand with a fair distribution of profit and the introduction of an unconditional basic income.
A basic income with which one can make a living. And that brings us to the next point. Many workers lose their jobs or are sent into short-time work. Or they have to do without wages due to childcare and unpaid leave. This makes it difficult for many people to pay the already dizzyingly high rents. The federal government has decided that in times of crisis no tenant can be dismissed due to rent debts. But this only shifts the problem to the back and disguises the real farce. Housing should not be subject to the capitalist market. What has already been called for in Berlin, namely the socialisation of housing companies, must now be pushed forward. Housing and living should not serve the profit of rich people. Not during the crisis and not after the crisis.
The stock market collapsed, of course, and the media conveyed the feeling that this affected us all. The news is dominated by reports of economic reviews etc. The focus is on capital, not people. For the time being, we don’t care if the stock market crashes, there are enough resources for everyone to survive. The problem is speculation and capitalism.
But back to the working conditions. After all the kindergartens and day-care centres were closed, another problem rolled in on a large part of the population, namely childcare. Again, we are not in the same boat. Privileged people who are able to have a home office may be annoyed by their children and their concentration may suffer, but it is not impossible for them to provide childcare. This is different for ordinary workers, where both partners are dependent on an income or with single parents in precarious employment. These can hope for unpaid leave or the goodwill of the
employer. Employers who are currently looking after their children in their home office. Even if this is not recommended, many desperate parents still bring their children to their grandparents – a risk group. Thus, the risk of infection also has a social class. We see that the risk of infection has to do with social class not only in the exercise of risky professions. Mobility is also a factor. While privileged people can take a car to work or for recreation, the poorer ones can only use public transport. In which the risk of infection is naturally higher, apart from the poorly paid bus drivers, train conductors, etc. Shops, except for groceries and pharmacies, are meanwhile closed. And we see who is still working. Nurses, shop assistants, bus drivers, etc. All jobs where the wage is barely enough to live.
At the moment a lot of German citizens are brought back from abroad. And that is good, we should not overlook that at the same time many people are deported unnoticed. Clammy and secretly. And also what happens in front of European borders gets out of focus. Fugitives in inhumane camps, where there is no mention of hygiene standards or minimum distances, are stuck in their fate. And Europe looks on and Europe looks away.
But even within its borders there are people who are particularly at risk. Homeless people, people who are illegal or who live in refugee accommodation in confined spaces. A special irony is also the moaning about missing harvest workers. It is right that they are missing now. This is mainly due to the fact that nationals do not want to work for a starvation wage, while people from other countries are dependent on it. The problem here is not the lack of harvesters, but the lack of workers who are capitalistically exploited. The problem is the bad pay and not that there is a lack of energetic hands. And again the problem is called capitalism.
What we also see is that the health system is overtaxing it. It lacks everything. Beds, staff and equipment. Of course, no one saw such a pandemic coming, and yet it must be remembered that the condition is due to capitalism. So while we have more than 1 million variations of TVs or decorative items, the situation with beds for intensive care patients* looks bad.
And a common applause from the balcony is meant nicely, but it won’t replace the missing workers or pay them better.
We are in a time of crisis. That is clear. And we should stick together. But we should also not forget that the crisis knows social inequality. That the risk of contagion knows inequality and that we should take the time to think about what is wrong in our system. The problem is capitalism, the problem is national identity. Dependence on the capitalist system ensures that work is maintained that is only for profit. Capitalism ensures that economic interests and the stock market take precedence over the well-being of people. National identity and egoism ensure closed borders, ensure that people die before our borders.
So like to pretend that we are in a boat, but after the crisis remember that there are big luxury liners and small rusty cutters! Let’s get the luxury liners!
– Ellen Carius