Lichtgedanken 05

Rubrik 44 Some workers’ representatives were worried prior to the works council elec- tions in the spring of 2018. They feared a shift to the right among the repre- sentatives to be elected. As the studies conducted by the sociologists at the University Jena show, this is because of the fact that even active and unioni- zed workers are increasingly adopting right-wing positions. Recently, this has been proven by a study conducted by the sociologists working with Prof. Dr Klaus Dörre which was published in the Berlin Journal of Sociology. »There may only have been a few candidates who Right-wing working-class movements Right-wing populist opinions are growing in popularity, also among unionized workers. According to the re- sults of a study conducted by the sociologists at the University of Jena, the social question—i. e. the conflict between those at the »top« and those at the »bottom« of society—is increasingly interpreted as to conflict between »the Germans« and »the migrants«. A trend that poses a dilemma—not only within trade unions. BY SEBASTIAN HOLLSTEIN S O C I O L O G Y aggressively professed to hold right- wing positions during the works coun- cil elections«, says Dörre. »But that does not mean that these views do not exist.« 19 percent of workers and 15 percent of union members voted for the German right-wing party »AfD« (Alternative for Germany) in 2017. As the party’s overall vote percentage was 12.6 percent, this proportion is clearly above-average. In their study, the sociologists showed that followers of right-wing populist positions within the working class are certainly not just found on the corre- sponding electoral lists, but also within established and enthusiastic members of trade unions, and other bodies repre- senting workers. In an earlier study in 2006, Dörre and his colleagues showed that right-wing populist views were al- ready established amongst the working class, but it had not been visible among active trade unionists back then. Sin- ce then, however, a clear sympathy for the views of the AfD and groups such as Pegida have been identified amongst active minorities. »We see the patterns of interpretation stiffening, so that it is not longer possible to debate with arguments with those