May Day
April 30, 2009
As the recession bites and unemployment remains high, labor leaders say Germans have plenty of reasons to take to the streets in protest marches traditionally held on Labor Day, May 1.
As unemployment hovers at about 8.6 percent - equal to more than 3.5 million people - and the government predicts that the economy will slump by 6 percent in 2009, many in Germany are wondering how the ongoing economic crisis will continue to affect their lives.
Plant closures and shortened working hours have become common across the country, and some experts fear many of the jobs that have disappeared may never return.
Deutsche Welle looks at how companies and employees are reacting to the crisis and recaps some of the news that's driving people to take part in annual May Day marches organized by labor unions, who are calling for better workers' rights and job security.