The DGB Weser-Ems region, the individual trade unions, Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen and the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation cordially invited us to celebrate International Women's Day together - with humour and attitude.

We started the evening at 5.30 pm with a small champagne reception and nibbles . At 18:00, we continued with an exclusive programme by Anna Bartling (comedienne and poetry artist). This was followed by a get-together to talk to each other, share impressions and discuss existing challenges in the areas of equal rights, equal opportunities and gender justice.

Organisers:

The ongoing nursing crisis in Germany poses major challenges for hospitals and employees. High workloads and work intensification, too few staff and a lack of relief are leading to nursing staff becoming exhausted, reducing their working hours or leaving the academic appointment. Against this backdrop, the question arises as to what urgently needs to change in order to ensure good care and good work? And to what extent can collective agreements help to relieve the burden on employees so that working conditions in hospital care improve in the long term?

These questions were the focus of the presentation by Thorsten Wurlitz, nursing educator at Hannover Medical School (MHH). As a participant (ver.di bargaining committee) in the negotiations for the MHH's 2024 collective labour agreement, he also provided insights into the process and gave an initial assessment after one year.

Speaker:
Thorsten Wurlitz studied political science and history and is a qualified healthcare and nursing professional. He is a nursing educator and works at the nursing training academy at Hannover Medical School (MHH). He has also been actively involved in ver.di for many years.

For many years, right-wing networks have been increasingly trying to gain influence in the workplace context - be it through targeted political campaigns, right-wing lists in works council elections or the establishment of supposed employee representations such as the right-wing pseudo trade union "Centre". In doing so, right-wing actors specifically seize on workplace conflicts, concerns about transformation, fears of status and decline or general dissatisfaction with political and economic developments and instrumentalise them for their own political agenda. As a result, right-wing narratives are increasingly spreading in the world of work and dividing the workforce.

Dr Björn Allmendinger took a closer look at these worrying developments in his presentation: What strategies are right-wing networks pursuing in the world of work? Which players are currently particularly active? What role do organisations such as "Centre" play in right-wing mobilisation? And what options for action do works councils, trade unions and employees, for example, have to effectively counter right-wing influence?

Speaker:
Dr Björn Allmendinger is deputy managing director of Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen and a lecturer at the Institute for Vocational Education and Adult Education at Leibniz Universität Hannover.

The lecture was part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies". The event was organised in cooperation with Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, the DGB region Weser-Ems and the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation in Osnabrück.

25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and also the start of Orange Days. As part of these days of action, people around the world set an example against discrimination and all forms of violence against girls and women. In the theatre monologue "The Woman Who Ran into Doors", based on a novel by Roddy Doyle, the protagonist Paula Spencer talks about her life, which has been marked by violence. For the 39-year-old woman, most of her life has already ended. And it hasn't gone well. The flowered bedroom curtain that blew over her cot in the summer wind never existed - but her father's abuse did.

The film tells the story of an alcoholic woman who takes her life into her own hands despite all odds and humiliations. Played by the actress Michaela Allendorf. Far removed from sentimentality or moralising, she illustrated a process of awareness in a spiral of violence from which there seems to be no escape.

The theatre performance was followed by a panel discussion on the topic of "Violence against women" with Michaela Allendorf (freelance actress), Dr Janina Leyk (conTakt Counselling Centre, University of Oldenburg) and Nadine Finke (Wildwasser Oldenburg e.V.), Franziska (Oldenburg Women's Shelter) and Maxi Seidel (AStA, University of Oldenburg).

Organisers:
Studierendenwerk Oldenburg, AStA of the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, University of Oldenburg, Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation,

For too long, the field on social media platforms was left to right-wing parties. This allowed the AfD to build up an enormous reach on TikTok and promote ideological and nationalist content to young people. The success of the party's strategy can be seen in the results of the last European elections. But how can content that promotes democracy combat this and win over more likes? We discussed the power of social media to influence our democracy with journalist and futurologist Deana Mrkaja and talked about strategies and projects to counter right-wing attempts at appropriation in the digital age.

Speaker:
Deana Mrkaja studied political science, peace and conflict research and futurology in Berlin. She is an award-winning journalist and TikTok virtuoso. She produces highly acclaimed online reports and was Head of Social Media at Berliner Morgenpost.

Lecture slides by Deana Mrkaja "Likes for Democracy! Going viral against right-wing attempts at appropriation"

The lecture took place as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies" and was organised in cooperation with Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen and DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

Unfortunately, the lecture had to be cancelled due to illness.

The lectures at the Oldenburg Labour Law Forum bring together practitioners and academics in the region. The aim of the forum is to exchange experiences with current labour law problems and to further develop one's own points of view.

Advisor:
Inken Gallner has been President of the Federal Labour Court since January 2022 and is Chair of the First University Senate, which is responsible for substantive works constitution, staff representation and spokesperson committee law, freedom of association, collective bargaining capacity and collective bargaining competence as well as industrial action law.

Organisers:
The forum arbeitsrecht oldenburg is organised by the Institute of Law, Department of Civil Law and Labour Law (Prof. Dr. Christiane Brors) in cooperation with the German Association of Labour Courts. It is planned and organised with the Oldenburg Employers' Association, the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, DGB Rechtsschutz - GmbH Oldenburg and the Oldenburg Labour Court.

Trump, the AfD and the FPÖ: the electoral success of far-right parties poses a growing challenge for climate policy. Particularly in times of economic uncertainty, mobilisation against wind power, heat pumps etc. proves to be especially powerful and goes far beyond the mere denial of man-made climate change. The lecture shed light on how this far-right mobilisation undermines ambitious climate policy. Afterwards, Manès Weisskircher discussed with the participants possible courses of action for politics and society to counteract the AfD's climate obstructionism.

Speaker:
Dr Manès Weisskircher is head of the BMBF junior research group REXKLIMA (Right-wing extremism versus climate protection?) at the Institute of Political Science, TU Dresden. He is also an affiliated researcher at the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX) at the University of Oslo and a visiting researcher at the Centre for Civil Society Research, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin. Among other things, he is the editor of the anthology "Contemporary Germany and the Fourth Wave of Far-Right Politics".

The lecture was part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies". The event was organised in cooperation with Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen and DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

Experience the city as a learning space and make history tangible at various locations. This is possible with the help of a city tour. With the city tour on National Socialism in Oldenburg, we would like to offer the opportunity to explore an important part of regional history.

The tour of National Socialism in Oldenburg covers almost four kilometres and includes ten stops from the Pferdemarkt through the city centre to the old Oldenburg State Parliament and ends at the memorial wall for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Aspects such as possible reasons for the early successes of the NSDAP in Oldenburg, the war experiences of the city's inhabitants and the increasing anti-Semitism that ultimately led to the Holocaust were addressed at the memorial sites.

At each station, visitors were able to work out information independently. The stations were designed to appeal to people with and without prior knowledge. A free digital version of the city tour via Actionbound also made it possible to retrace individual parts or the entire tour individually.

Speaker
Kevin Mennenga, Education Coordinator at Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen

The city tour took place as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies" . The event was organised in cooperation with Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen and DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

A daily working time of eight hours was long regarded as a social achievement in Germany. However, the German government is planning to reform the Working Hours Act to replace the current limit with a maximum weekly working time. This would allow working days to be extended to up to 13 hours. This is being argued under the heading of flexibilisation. "We are giving employees and companies more flexibility by introducing a weekly maximum working time instead of a daily one," said Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz in his government statement. But would the planned maximum weekly working hours really be beneficial for employees? Would this make it possible to achieve a better work-life balance?

In her presentation, Dr Yvonne Lott shed light on the dangers of the planned reform of the Working Hours Act and why it needs to be strengthened rather than watered down. She also discussed which legal, collectively agreed and company regulations are useful for better working and living conditions with regard to working hours.

Speaker:
Dr Yvonne Lott is head of the Gender Research Department at the Hans Böckler Foundation's Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI).

The online event was organised in cooperation with the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation in Osnabrück.

Lecture
Current work distribution and working time preferences of employees
Dr Yvonne Lott, WSI

The AfD likes to portray itself as an advocate for the "little people", although its real policies primarily serve the interests of high earners and the rich. However, dependent employees have nothing to expect from the party. It opposes everything that trade unions are fighting for on behalf of employees. The AfD rejects the wealth tax for multimillionaires, an increase in the minimum wage or greater collective bargaining coverage. And yet the AfD is voted for more often than average by people who would be the first to suffer from its labour and social policies.

Why is this the case? What interests are reflected in the AfD vote? And how can trade unions deal with these contradictions? These questions were at the centre of Gerd Wiegel's online lecture.

Speaker:
Gerd Wiegel is Head of the Democracy, Migration and Anti-Racism Policy Department at the DGB Federal Executive Board. He has been working and publishing on the extreme right in Germany and Europe for many years.

Lecture AfD - the enemy of employees
Gerd Wiegel, DGB Federal Executive Committee

The lecture was part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies". The event was organised in cooperation with Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen and DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

There are currently many debates about the future of work. Fuelled by discussions about the economic situation and shortages of skilled workers, working hours play a central role. In the run-up to his first government statement on 14 May 2025, Friedrich Merz emphasised: "We need to work more and, above all, more efficiently in this country. We will not be able to maintain this country's prosperity with a four-day week and work-life balance." The four-day week is attracting both supporters and critics. Business organisations, for example, are calling for longer working hours and rejecting a 4-day week. At the same time, more and more companies and institutions are offering a 4-day week in order to increase their attractiveness on the labour market. And the majority of full-time employees would like a shorter working week.

As part of the final event of the future discourse "Rethinking working hours - in times of skilled labour shortages", we took another look at the 4-day week. Is the four-day week a model for the future? What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of different 4-day week models for employees and employers? What operational requirements are needed to implement a 4-day week? Prof Dr Julia Backmann from the University of Münster presented key findings from Germany's largest pilot project on the 4-day week on these and other questions. Following the presentation, we discussed the pros and cons of the working time model with various stakeholders from academia and the world of work. Julia Backmann (University of Münster), Heiko Henke (Oldenburg Chamber of Crafts), Dorothee Koch (Regional Managing Director, DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland) and Sofia Heuser (Young People's Secretary, ver.di Weser-Ems district) contributed their specific perspectives and experiences.

The local radio station oldenburg eins recorded the event: https://youtu.be/2GQNLjBqGXc

The event took place as part of the future discourse "Rethinking working hours - in times of skilled labour shortages" and was sponsored by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture.

Feature film, 2024, D, 89 min.

Christian's life seems predetermined. He grows up with his siblings in poor circumstances, with a hard-working, drinking, violent father. When Christian's mother dies, his aunt Juli takes him and his siblings in against their father's wishes. Despite resistance from the youth welfare office, the aunt manages to get Christian to go to grammar school. At school, Christian repeatedly has to deal with prejudice. In the family, he gets caught between the fronts of his aunt and his father.
The film, based on the novel by Christian Baron, provides insights into phenomena such as the shame that people living in poverty often feel, images of masculinity, class pride, poorly paid, health-destroying work and structural disadvantage due to social background and a lack of economic means.

Venue: cine k, Kulturetage, Bahnhofsstraße 11, OL

An end of project by: University of Oldenburg, Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, DGB Region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland in co-operation with cine k and Medienbüro Oldenburg

Christian Baron read from his book Ein Mann seiner Klasse (A Man of His Class), published in 2020. In his autobiography, the author and journalist describes his upbringing in precarious circumstances in Kaiserslautern in the 1990s: his childhood was characterised by poverty and violence at the hands of his alcoholic father and the early death of his mother. In his book, Baron describes the experience of social marginalisation by educational and welfare institutions and reflects on his own difficult educational path to A-levels and university as a story of social advancement. Last but not least, Ein Mann seiner Klasse is also an examination of his deceased father.

The book, published in 2020, was on the Spiegel bestseller list, a theatre version by Schauspiel Hannover was invited to the Berlin Theatertreffen in 2022, and in 2024 a TV feature film based on the book was released by ard. We will be showing the feature film in co-operation with cine k Oldenburg on 2 July 2025 at 18:00. Christian Baron's new novel Drei Schwestern (Three Sisters ) will be published shortly and he will give a preview of it.

The reading was followed by a discussion with Christian Baron and literary scholar Prof Dr Urte Helduser (University of Oldenburg). There was also room for questions from the audience.

Speaker:
Christian Baron, born in 1985 in Kaiserslautern, lives as a freelance author and journalist in Berlin. After studying political science, sociology and German studies in Trier, he worked as a newspaper editor for several years. His literary debut Ein Mann seiner Klasse was published by Claassen in 2020, for which he received the Klaus-Michael-Kühne-Preis and the noon-Foundation's "Aufstieg durch Bildung" literature prize.

Organisers:
Institute for German Studies and Cooperation Centre, Office for University and Trade Union Union Co-operation of the University of Oldenburg

Experience the city as a learning space and make history tangible at various locations. This is possible with the help of a city tour. With the city tour on National Socialism in Oldenburg, we want to offer the opportunity to explore an important part of regional history.

The tour on National Socialism in Oldenburg covers almost four kilometres and has ten stops from the Pferdemarkt through the city centre to the old Oldenburg State Parliament and ends at the memorial wall for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Aspects such as possible reasons for the early successes of the NSDAP in Oldenburg, the war experiences of the city's inhabitants and the increasing anti-Semitism that ultimately led to the Holocaust were addressed at the memorial sites.

Information could be acquired independently at each station. The stations were designed to appeal to people with and without prior knowledge. A free digital version of the city tour via Actionbound also made it possible to retrace individual parts or the entire tour individually.

Speaker
Kevin Mennenga, Education Coordinator at Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen

The city tour took place as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies" . The event was organised in cooperation with Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen and DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

Feature film, 2025, Germany/Switzerland, 95 min.

It's just another day. Floria (Leonie Benesch) gets off the bus and enters the hospital where she works as a nurse. Floria loves her academic appointment, she is knowledgeable and dedicated to her work. However, the heavy workload caused by chronic understaffing on the ward means that she is unable to devote enough time to all of the patients. But Floria tries anyway. The young woman is constantly pushing herself to her limits and beyond. This overload not only has consequences for Floria personally. Because on this day, when a colleague is also absent, she makes a serious mistake.
In her feature film, director Petra Biondina Volpe portrays the often challenging day-to-day work of a nurse in a hospital. In doing so, she highlights the serious shortcomings of the current care situation and makes it clear what needs to change
.

Venue: cine k, Kulturetage, Bahnhofsstraße 11, OL

An end of project by: University of Oldenburg, Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, DGB Region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland in co-operation with cine k and Medienbüro Oldenburg

Feature film, 2016, D, 166 min.

The film tells the story of Winfried, a music teacher with a pronounced penchant for joking, and his daughter Ines, a single business consultant who travels the world to optimise companies. After the death of his dog, Winfried spontaneously decides to visit his daughter in Romania, who is working on a major outsourcing project. Once there, he annoys Ines with tepid jokes and subliminal criticism of her performance-orientated life between meetings, hotel bars and countless emails. When Winfried interferes more and more in his daughter's professional life, the two come to blows.
In this comedy, director Maren Ade combines the touching story of an estranged father-daughter relationship with a satire on ways of living and working in capitalism. The film has received numerous awards, including the European Film Award as well as the German and Austrian Film Awards.

Venue: cine k, Kulturetage, Bahnhofsstraße 11, OL

An end of project by: University of Oldenburg, Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, DGB Region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland in co-operation with cine k and Medienbüro Oldenburg

Feature film, 2022, DF, 122 min.

Maureen Kearney (Isabelle Huppert) is found tied up and traumatised in her own flat. There is no trace of the perpetrator and she can only remember fragments of what happened. The investigators are working under high pressure, as Maureen was a staff councillor at the French industrial group Areva and a trade unionist on the trail of dubious dealings in the nuclear industry that could also incriminate influential decision-makers. Suddenly, new evidence emerges that calls the raid into question. Based on a true story, this gripping thriller shows the struggle of an intrepid trade unionist who has to defend herself against a supposedly overpowering opponent.

Venue: cine k, Kulturetage, Bahnhofsstraße 11, OL

An end of project by: University of Oldenburg, Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, DGB Region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland in cooperation with cine k and Medienbüro Oldenburg

In the canteen, in seminars, lectures or internships, are disparaging remarks made about students because of their origin, religion or skin colour? Is someone making fun of queer people in public? Your aunt breaks up a family celebration with discriminatory remarks about people with disabilities?

This workshop is the right place for anyone who feels speechless in such moments and is most annoyed with themselves afterwards - namely for not having said anything. Silence can signal admission and make us feel powerless, and we want to tackle this. In this way, we can work together to create a climate in our environment that does not simply accept anti-democratic, right-wing and discriminatory slogans. But what is the best way to counter such slogans? How do we show civil courage?

In the workshop, strategies were developed to effectively counter discrimination and slogans and to recognise typical communication patterns. In the next step, the participants considered what they want to and can achieve in a specific situation. The workshop was lively and practical.

Speaker:
Helga Barbara Gundlach is a trainer, advisor, lecturer and moderator in the field of intercultural competence and conflict management.

The event was organised by Students at Work | Campus Office of the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation in co-operation with the AStA of the University of Oldenburg. The workshop took place as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies", which is organised by the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

To mark International Women's Day, the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland region and the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation organised a city tour entitled "Of princesses, politicians and prostitutes". The tour was organised by the Centre for Women's History e. V. in Oldenburg and presented different worlds of women in the royal seat of Oldenburg at various stations from the castle to the Waffenplatz.

To mark International Women's Day, the Department for Women's, Equal Opportunities and Gender Policy and the State Women's Committee of GEW Lower Saxony, together with the University-Unions Cooperation Centre, invited to the film screening "Die Unbeugsamen 2 - Guten Morgen, Ihr Schönen!" at the Casablanca cinema in Oldenburg.

With his documentary film "Die Unbeugsamen", director Torsten Kurner created a cinematic monument to the female politicians of the Bonn Republic and their fight for political participation. With the sequel "Die Unbeugsamen 2 - Guten Morgen, Ihr Schönen!" Kurner turns his gaze to the other side of the Iron Curtain and draws a lively group portrait of 15 women from the most diverse areas of society in the GDR. The film offers a captivating stage for the women's impressive life achievements and their fight for equal opportunities.

At 16:00 in the conservatory of the Casablanca (Johannisstraße 17 in Oldenburg), the deputy chairwoman of the GEW, Isabel Rojas Castaneda and Claudia Czycholl from the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation welcomed the participants, and at 17:00 the film "Die Unbeugamen 2" was shown.

In January 2023, unemployment benefit II (Hartz IV) was replaced by the citizen's allowance. After one year, the standard rates of basic income support for the unemployed were increased by €61 to €561 per month. According to the decision of the coalition government, there will be no increase in the transfer payment in 2025. However, it is uncertain what will happen to the citizen's income after the federal elections. The AFD and CDU want to abolish the citizen's income, while the FDP wants to change it. The common core of the plans is that tougher sanctions and benefit cuts are to be introduced.

Since the introduction of the Citizen's Income, the debate about the design and level of the Citizen's Income has been ongoing. The political and media debates are usually not well-founded, but are characterised by misconceptions and sometimes (right-wing) populist false claims with social explosive force: According to these claims, the citizen's income is often misused, recipients can rest while receiving benefits and work is no longer worthwhile because the benefits are too high. In addition, the restriction of sanctions would result in considerable financial damage to the federal budget.

In her presentation, Bettina Kohlrausch took a critical look at these statements. She focussed on the relationship between the minimum wage and the citizen's income. She showed that the cliché "recipients of the citizen's income do not want to work" does not correspond to reality. She also refuted the assumption that higher sanctions would create incentives to work. She also discussed whether the current standard needs are even sufficient to enable people to live in dignity and participate in society.

Speaker:
Prof. Dr Bettina Kohlrausch has been Director of the Hans Böckler Foundation's Institute of Social Sciences and Professor of Social Transformation and Digitalisation at Paderborn University since the beginning of May 2020.

The presentation slides will be available here shortly.

Quickly edited music videos, funny memes and trendy challenges - the social media platform TikTok delights millions of young users with an endless stream of entertaining short videos. But behind the seemingly harmless façade lurks a disturbing reality: political and, above all, far-right content is increasingly making its way into the feed. Their supporter networks in particular are making targeted use of the platform's reach and mechanisms to subtly win over children and young people in favour of their ideologies. In her presentation, Una Titz discussed the growing influence of anti-democratic and far-right tendencies on social media platforms and presented various measures that can be taken to counteract these dynamics in the digital space.

Speaker:
Una Titz, an experienced right-wing extremism researcher at the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, takes a critical look at current digital developments. In her work, she shows how inhuman hate cultures are taking over the digital space and how platforms are deliberately instrumentalised to manipulate emotions and shape opinions.

The lecture was part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies" . The event is organised in cooperation with Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen and DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

There are currently many debates about the future of work. Working hours play a central role in this: business associations, for example, are calling for longer working hours in order to cover labour requirements. At the same time, more and more companies and institutions are introducing a four-day week to counteract shortages of skilled workers and increase their attractiveness on the labour market. And more and more employees do not want to work full-time in order to have more free time for themselves.

The aim of the workshop was to explore the opportunities, challenges and implementation possibilities of various working time models. To this end, knowledge of legal regulations on the topic of working hours was imparted and different working time models and their advantages and disadvantages (workload, effects on health, work-life balance, etc.) were discussed. The workshop also focussed on the wishes, suggestions and design issues of employees and interest groups with regard to a 4-day week, shorter working hours and/or flexible working hours.

Advisor: Margareta Steinrücke is a labour and gender sociologist and coordinator of the Bremen Working Time Initiative. She has also been active for many years at ver.di, particularly in women's and educational work, in the attac federal working group ArbeitFairTeilen and in the European Work-Time Network.

The workshop took place as part of the future discourse "Rethinking working time - in times of skilled labour shortages" and was sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony.

with Dr Anna Arlinghaus, Managing Director of XIMES GmbH (research and consulting)

More time - that's what many employees want. More and more companies and organisations are looking into the four-day working week model in order to offer skilled workers the most attractive working conditions possible. But is the four-day week a model for the future for all sectors? What are the potential advantages and disadvantages for employees and employers? How can a four-day week be implemented? What operational requirements are needed?

The Austrian research and consulting company XIMES GmbH has advised many companies on these and other questions relating to the four-day week, supported them during implementation and evaluated the process as well as the working time models in several companies. In her presentation, Dr Anna Arlinghaus presented different variants of the four-day week as well as results from the accompanying studies and discussed both the opportunities and challenges of implementation with the participants.

Lecture
The four-day week in practice
Dr Anna Arlinghaus, Managing Director of XIMES GmbH

The event took place as part of the future discourse "Rethinking working hours - in times of skilled labour shortages" and was sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony.

"University in the clutches of the DGB" was the headline of the daily newspaper Die Welt on the occasion of the cooperation agreement concluded on 17 December 1974 between the young University of Oldenburg, the DGB and the educational association Arbeit und Leben. Although conservative circles fiercely opposed the university-union co-operation in the early days, it became a model of success in Oldenburg and was transferred to other regions. The co-operation has contributed to improving working and living conditions in the region and has always aimed to take greater account of the interests and problems of employees in academia.

Around 150 guests from education, trade unions, business, politics and society attended the celebratory event on 5 September 2024 in the auditorium of the University of Oldenburg.

The guests were treated to a festive programme with Elke Hannack (Deputy Chair of the German Trade Union Confederation), Prof. Dr Ralf Bruder (Chair of the University of Oldenburg), Dr Jürgen Lüthje (former Chancellor of the University of Oldenburg), Dr Mehrdad Payandeh (Chair of the DGB Lower Saxony - Bremen - Saxony-Anhalt District) and others. In addition to reviews and outlooks on the co-operation work of university trade unions, lively discussions took place afterwards over food and drinks.

with Dr Carsten Krinn, lecturer at the School of Social Work at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences

Since 2012, the Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian inhabitants of Rojava, the predominantly Kurdish region in the state of Syria, and from 2015 also in other neighbouring areas in northern and eastern Syria, have been jointly promoting democratic self-administration independent of the Syrian Baath regime. This grassroots democratic model, which is committed to the principle of gender equality and places particular emphasis on the liberation of women, is seen by many people as pointing the way forward for the multi-ethnic, multi-religious societies of the Middle East.

An education system that develops new approaches free of hierarchy, patriarchy, violence and nationalism plays a major role in this - in a region that is surrounded by nationalist and religious extremist forces. The radically reorganised education system is multilingual, meaning that Arab and, for the first time, Kurdish and Assyrian pupils can be taught in their family language.

Democratic universities have been established in Qamishlo, Kobanî, Afrîn (occupied by Turkey since 2018) and Raqqa. This is despite the daily military attacks by Turkey aimed at displacing the population, the ongoing threat of terror from the so-called Islamic State and the difficult economic and ecological conditions.

What is different and emancipatory about this education system? Can this promising education system succeed? What are the current challenges from the perspective of the actors and observers?

The speaker
Dr Carsten Krinn is a lecturer at the School of Social Work at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences and deals with the higher education landscape in the liberated areas. In autumn 2023, he was able to gain an impression of the people's efforts on site.

The organisers
Verein "Städtepartnerschaft Oldenburg-Raqqa e.V." and the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation of the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg

The labour market is changing. On the one hand, many business associations are calling for longer working hours in order to cover labour requirements in companies. On the other hand, many employees want to work less and have more free time. As future employees, apprentices in particular are confronted with the new working time debate: should and do we want to work more or less in the future? Is the 4-day week a model for the future? How can working hours be organised flexibly? What do we want from future employers with regard to working hours?

These questions were discussed in the workshop with students, apprentices and apprentice representatives. Various working time models and their advantages and disadvantages were presented and the participants worked together to identify their suggestions, wishes and ideas for employers when it comes to working hours. The workshop also provided an opportunity to share their own experiences on the topic of working hours in a training company or part-time job.

The workshop took place as part of the future discourse "Rethinking working time - in times of skilled labour shortages" and is funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture. More information about the project can be found here: https: //uol.de/kooperationsstelle/projekte/arbeitszeit-neu-denken

Feature film, 2023, DF, 123 min.

Hirayama cleans public toilets in Tokyo. He seems perfectly content with his simple, secluded life and, away from his highly structured daily routine, devotes himself to his passion for music, which he listens to on audio cassettes, and literature, which he reads every evening in second-hand paperbacks. Through a series of unexpected encounters, a past that he has long since left behind gradually comes to light. PERFECT DAYS is a deeply moving and poetic reflection on the beauty of the everyday world and the uniqueness of every human being.
Wim Wenders' film portrays simple, stoic work; the background to life outside of work is only gradually revealed. A very poetic film, sober and simple.

Venue: cine k, Kulturetage, Bahnhofsstraße 11, OL
In addition to the main entrance, a side entrance leads from the inner courtyard of the Kulturetage to the cine k on the second
floor. After the film screenings, there will be a discussion with critical reflection for all interested parties.
Tickets + further information on the film series on the cine k website

An end of project by: University of Oldenburg, Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, DGB Region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland
in cooperation with: cine k, Medienbüro Oldenburg

Documentary, 2020, DF, 86 min.

Earning money quickly and easily via an app - that's the promise of digital service providers such as Uber and Deliveroo. But the drivers and delivery staff have to be available at all times and never get off work. According to estimates, by 2025 more than half a billion people worldwide will be doing jobs that are controlled by large internet platforms. "Work on Demand" shows the everyday life of modern digital day labourers and takes a look at the future of work.
In the documentary "Work on Demand", Canadian journalist and screenwriter Harold Crooks takes a critical look at the phenomenon of the gig economy or platform economy. The
questionable recruitment tactics of the powerful tech companies are scrutinised, as is the market-based control of work and wages via platforms; the various effects are highlighted. A profound look at a seemingly unstoppable trend in the world of work.

Venue: cine k, Kulturetage, Bahnhofsstraße 11, OL
In addition to the main entrance, a side entrance leads from the inner courtyard of the Kulturetage to the cine k on the second
floor. After the film screenings, there will be a discussion with critical reflection for all interested parties.
Tickets + further information on the film series on the cine k website

An end of project by: University of Oldenburg, Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, DGB Region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland
in cooperation with: cine k, Medienbüro Oldenburg

Experience the city as a learning space and make history tangible at various locations. This is possible with the help of a city tour. With the city tour on National Socialism in Oldenburg, we want to offer the opportunity to explore an important part of regional history. The tour was created by the Coordination Centre against Right-Wing Extremism and Xenophobia in Oldenburg, which is part of the Lower Saxony Work and Life Education Association.

The tour on National Socialism in Oldenburg covers almost four kilometres and has ten stops from the Pferdemarkt through the city centre to the old Oldenburg State Parliament and ends at the memorial wall for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Aspects such as possible reasons for the early successes of the NSDAP in Oldenburg, the war experiences of the city's inhabitants and the increasing anti-Semitism that ultimately led to the Holocaust are addressed at the memorial sites.

Information can be acquired independently at each station. The stations are designed to appeal to people with and without prior knowledge. A free digital version of the city tour via Actionbound also makes it possible to retrace individual parts or the entire tour individually.

Speaker
Jasmina Bindner, project worker at the Coordination Centre against Right-Wing Extremism and Xenophobia in Oldenburg

The city tour took place as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies". The event was organised in cooperation with the Coordination Office against Right-Wing Extremism and Xenophobia at Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

The organisers reserved the right to exercise their domiciliary rights and refuse entry to or exclude people from the event who belong to right-wing extremist parties or organisations, are associated with the right-wing extremist scene or have already made racist, nationalist, anti-Semitic or other inhumane statements in the past.

Feature film, 2023, DF, 103 min.

Two people are travelling in a bus: Agnieszka from Poland, to care for an elderly gentleman who is slowly drifting into oblivion. Dieudonné from the Ivory Coast to work in a huge greenhouse. They are not alone. Armies of friendly carers look after confused Germans. Migrant workers harvest, pack and deliver organic vegetables. At first glance, this may look like a 21st century slave labour system. But the supposedly subalterns communicate via a perfect network: AMITIÉ. A self-learning artificial intelligence that is capable of exchanging information, teaching languages, comparing migration routes, finding jobs and transferring money. An AI that anyone can join, a virtual reality that anyone can enter. Friendship has replaced fraternisation. If it weren't for the policeman on the hunt for smugglers!

Venue: cine k, Kulturetage, Bahnhofsstraße 11, OL
In addition to the main entrance, a side entrance leads from the inner courtyard of the Kulturetage to the cine k on the second
floor. After the film screenings, a discussion with critical reflection took place for all interested parties.
Tickets + further information on the film series on the cine k website

An end of project by: University of Oldenburg, Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, DGB Region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland
in cooperation with: cine k, Medienbüro Oldenburg

Feature film, 2019, OmU, 87 min.

Without ever mentioning Harvey Weinstein's name, "The Assistant" reveals how structural abuse of power and sexual discrimination work. At the same time, it shows the attempt at individual defence and the "invisibility" of assistant activities.
The hard-working and discreet Jane (Emmy winner Julia Garner) is the new assistant to a powerful film producer. Without making a face, she cleans the sofa in the boss's office after young actresses have been there for a "meeting". She practically never gets to see her boss, but the fear of him is omnipresent in the company. Her male colleagues like to offload sensitive boss matters onto Jane's desk. But gradually she can no longer bear the silence about the questionable incidents ...
The film consistently adopts the female perspective in order to reveal the subtle intricacies of work and power structures and to show the hurdles that those affected have to struggle with when they denounce transgressions and want to take action against abuse of power.

Venue: cine k, Kulturetage, Bahnhofsstraße 11, OL
In addition to the main entrance, a side entrance leads from the inner courtyard of the Kulturetage to the cine k on the second
floor. After the film screenings, a discussion with critical reflection took place for all interested parties.
Tickets + further information on the film series on the cine k website

An end of project by: University of Oldenburg, Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, DGB Region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland
in cooperation with: cine k, Medienbüro Oldenburg

The lecture highlighted the differences between the various types of fraternities, as well as the similarities and lack of demarcations. Lucius Teidelbaum also gave an introduction to the criticism of all student fraternities and the principle of the student fraternity. Student fraternities form a kind of parallel culture for conservative academic men. In this micro-milieu, content such as gender images from pre-democratic times are still passed on today. The lecture was underpinned by examples from Oldenburg - even though Oldenburg is not a corporate stronghold. After the lecture, there was room for discussion and personal observations.

Speaker
Lucius Teidelbaum is a freelance journalist, publicist and researcher on the 'extreme right' and related grey areas. In 2023, he published the book "Vom Querdenken zur Querfront? Corona protests from the right" published by Unrast-Verlag.

The event took place at the Carl von Ossietzky University in room A01 0-007. Participation was free of charge.

The event was organised by Students at Work | Campus Office of the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation. The lecture is part of the event series "Rechte Netzwerke: Erscheinungsformen, Erklärungsansätze und Gegenstrategien" organised by the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, the Koordinierungsstelle gegen Rechtsextremismus und Fremdenfeindlichkeit bei Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

The organisers reserved the right to exercise their domiciliary rights and refuse entry to or exclude people from the event who belong to right-wing extremist parties or organisations, are associated with the right-wing extremist scene or have already made racist, nationalist, anti-Semitic or other inhumane statements in the past.

Cabaret artist Sunna Huygen was in Oldenburg for International Women's Day or Feminist Fight Day on 8 March with her current programme OzeanZeit:

Time is running out and the sea is narrow. While we are still complaining about wet feet, the water is already up to our necks. The climate is changing and the patriarchy is striking back. Sunna Huygen dives into the Mariana Trench of capitalism, searches for the saving feminist punchline and mutinies against ignorance with poetry.
The cabaret was followed by music and dance.

Participation in the event was open to FLINTA (women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender people).

from 18:00 Admission with champagne and snack
from 18:45 Welcome and political cabaret by Sunna Huygen
from 20:30 Disco

The evening was organised together with the DGB Region-Oldenburg Ostfriesland, the individual trade unions and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

In recent years, reports of right-wing extremist incidents involving the police have repeatedly caused a stir. Reporting has focussed in particular on uncovered chat groups in which officers spread right-wing extremist, racist and anti-Semitic content. In the presentation, advisor Dr Fatoş Atali-Timmer used current research findings to show the extent and manifestations of this problem. Using selected examples from various areas, the background and effects as well as the structural dimensions of right-wing extremist incidents in the police force were highlighted. What measures can be taken and what conclusions can be drawn from the events of recent years?

Advisor:
Dr Fatoş Atali-Timmer is a research assistant at the Institute of Educational Sciences at the University of Oldenburg. Her research focus is on racism/criticism, racism-critical police research, anti-Semitism, migration education and neo-Nazism/right-wing extremism. Her monograph "Interkulturelle Kompetenz bei der Polizei. Eine rassismuskritische Studie" will be published by Barbara Budrich Verlag.

The event took place in the BIS Saal at the University of Oldenburg. Participation in the event was free of charge and open to all interested parties.

The evening lecture was part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies". The event was organised in cooperation with the educational association Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

The organisers reserved the right to exercise their domiciliary rights and refuse entry to or exclude people from the event who belong to right-wing extremist parties or organisations, are associated with the right-wing extremist scene or have already made racist, nationalist, anti-Semitic or other inhumane statements in the past.

Although right-wing populists see the EU as an attack on national sovereignty, they are forming Europe-wide alliances. Prior to recent European elections, there were several attempts by the French Rassemblement National, the Dutch PVV and Matteo Salvini's Lega, among others, to form an alliance of right-wing populist parties. The right-wing populist group "Identity and Democracy" is currently the fifth largest in the European Parliament. But Europe's right-wing populists are not a homogeneous bloc. Not all right-wing populist parties belong to the joint group. The positions of the European right also diverge widely on numerous issues, such as their attitude towards Russia. The lecture therefore focused on two questions: Firstly, which right-wing populist alliances and networks exist in the run-up to the 2024 European elections? Secondly, on which key issues are right-wing populist parties largely in agreement in the run-up to the election - and on which issues are there differences of opinion?

Speaker:
Dr Anne Küppers is a research associate and lecturer at the Institute of Political Science at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Her research focus is on right-wing populism, climate change denial, attitudes towards democracy and inner-party democracy. She has also been project coordinator of the Thuringia Monitor since summer 2020.

Participation in the event was free of charge and open to all interested parties. The event took place online via BigBlueButton.

The evening lecture was part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies". The event was organised in cooperation with the educational association Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

The organisers reserve the right to exercise their domiciliary rights and to refuse entry to or exclude from the event persons who belong to right-wing extremist parties or organisations, are associated with the right-wing extremist scene or have already made racist, nationalist, anti-Semitic or other inhumane statements in the past

Two days in the home office, three days in the office: this model has become the new normal for many employees. Hybrid working often leads to changes in the design of office spaces that are no longer required to the same extent and with the same equipment as before. The final event of the future discourse "Hybrid work - the new normality of tomorrow" will look at various office space concepts and discuss their effects. How will office space with desk sharing be realised in practice if office space is saved? What concepts are being used to respond to the more communication-orientated usage requirements for office space? What effects can be expected on work organisation and team structures?

Two large regional companies, EWE and the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesische Wasserverband (OOWV), presented their office space concepts in response to these and other questions. They discussed the considerations on which the concepts are based, reported on their initial experiences of working in the redesigned premises and discussed these with Astrid Schmidt from the ver.di federal administration's Innovation and Good Labour department.

The event was free of charge and was aimed at companies, interest groups, trade unions and associations as well as interested employees. The event took place online via BigBlueButton.

Programme

• 17:00 Introduction "Hybrid work" by the project team (Prof. Dr Thomas Breisig, Dr Claudia Czycholl, Hiltraud Grzech-Sukalo, Dr Uwe Kröcher)
• 17:15 Presentation of new office space concepts at the EWE Group (Sven Bubenzer, Liane Ring, Group Real Estate Management of EWE AG)
• 17:30 Presentation of new office space concepts at OOWV (Christoph Oltmann, expert for digitalisation in the "Digital Office" at Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband)
• 17:45 Commentary by Astrid Schmidt (ver.di Federal Administration, Innovation and Good Labour Department)
• 18:00 Break
• 18:10 Joint discussion
• 19:00 End of the event

The programme and registration information can also be found in our invitation flyer.

The event took place as part of the future discourse "Hybrid workplaces - the normality of tomorrow". The Future Discourse is funded by the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony. You can find more information on our project homepage.

Sexism and sexual harassment in the workplace harms employees and companies. One in eleven employees has been affected by this in the last three years, women significantly more often than men. In her lecture, Professor Monika Schröttle presented the results of a representative study by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (2019) and discussed the resulting obligations for employers.

Advisor: Prof Dr Monika Schröttle holds the professorship for "Participation and Social Work" at Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences. She is also head of the research area "Gender, Disability, Human Rights and Violence" at the Institute for Empirical Sociology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.

Participation in the event was free of charge and open to all interested parties. The event took place online via BigBlueButton.

The online event took place as part of the series "Frauen*realitäten verändern! Women in work, politics and society". The event series is organised in cooperation with the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland, the Bildungsungsvereinigung Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen Nord. The lecture on 05.12.2023 took place in co-operation with the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation South-East Lower Saxony at the TU Braunschweig and the DGB Region South-East Lower Saxony.

The case law of the Federal Labour Court on leave law is constantly evolving in the area of conflict between the Federal Leave Act and Art. 7 of the European Working Time Directive (2003/88/EC). In his presentation, Ralf Zimmermann traced the latest developments in holiday law and explained the structures of the entitlement to paid annual leave. He focused in particular on the aspects of calculation, fulfilment, expiry and limitation of holiday and holiday compensation.

Speaker: Ralf Zimmermann has been a judge at the Federal Labour Court (BAG) since 2016 and is assigned to the 9th University Senate, which is responsible for holiday law, among other things. Prior to his academic appointment at the BAG, he worked as a judge in the labour courts of Lower Saxony, most recently as a judge at the Hanover Labour Court. He is also co-author of the Münchner Handbuch zum Arbeitsrecht and the Handkommentar zum Kündigungsschutzrecht by Gallner/Mestwerth/Nägele (HaKo-KSchR).

Participation in the event was free of charge and took place at the University of Oldenburg in lecture theatre V03 0-D002. Certificates of attendance could only be issued on site. After the event, participants were cordially invited to continue the dialogue over drinks and pretzels.

Organisers:

The forum arbeitsrecht oldenburg is organised by the Institute of Law, Department of Civil Law and Labour Law (Prof. Dr. Christiane Brors) in cooperation with the German Association of Labour Courts. In addition to the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, cooperation partners include the Oldenburg Employers' Association, DGB Rechtsschutz GmbH Oldenburg and the Oldenburg Labour Court. The forum with its lectures brings together practice and science in the region. It offers the opportunity to exchange experiences with current labour law problems and to further develop one's own points of view.

Among the various groups of people on the labour market, migrant women have to overcome some of the biggest hurdles, as they are often disadvantaged in two ways. Women with a migrant background are particularly common among precarious employees. As a consequence, this group is also much more affected by the risk of poverty in old age.

To strengthen the situation of migrant women, the DGB district of Lower Saxony - Bremen - Saxony-Anhalt founded the "NeMiA - Network Migrant Women and the Labour Market" in February 2019. Since 2020, the network has been organised in co-operation with the Lower Saxony Education Association Arbeit und Leben. NeMiA has been funded by the European Social Fund Plus since the beginning of 2023.

The aim of the project is to promote the integration of women with a migration background into the labour market. Companies, public administration and associations are to be supported in opening up more to this target group.

The main focal points of the network are

• Strengthening the fairer integration of migrant women into the labour market
• Expanding and deepening the activities of the NeMiA network, in particular the expansion to other regions of Lower Saxony
• Intercultural opening of companies, the public sector and organisations

Project manager Naciye Celebi-Bektas (DGB) and project coordinator Judith Frerking (Arbeit und Leben) presented NeMiA in an online presentation and were then available to talk and discuss about the project and the topic. You can find the presentation of the event here.

The online event took place as part of the series "Frauen*realitäten verändern! Women in work, politics and society". The event series is organised in cooperation with the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland and the Bildungsungsvereinigung Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen Nord.

Hybrid working is increasingly becoming the norm in many companies and organisations. Employees work partly on site at the company premises, partly from home or in other locations, be it in a café or while travelling. The establishment of hybrid working models goes hand in hand with new requirements for workplace concepts (e.g. saving office space), work organisation (e.g. remote working) and digitalisation (e.g. data security).

As part of the online exchange, we talked about challenges and experiences with hybrid working models in a relaxed atmosphere and discussed design options. There was also the opportunity to network with each other. Company management, interest groups, supervisors with personnel responsibility as well as employees, trade unionists and employers' associations were invited.

The online exchange took place as part of the future discourse "Hybrid workplaces - the normality of tomorrow". The Future Discourse is funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture. You can find more information on our project homepage.

Amazon is one of the companies with the highest turnover in the world. Since it was founded in the USA in 1994, the company has changed retail structures and, above all, the way people work there. Digitally taylorised, simple work has been established. This reorganisation has considerable similarities with the change in traditional factory work in the mid-1950s. It leads to the deskilling of sales work and the precarisation of temporary and seasonal workers. Amazon creates low wages and fights against co-determination and trade unions. This leads to resistance among the Amazon workforce, as is now clearly evident in international strikes. At the same time, a majority of the workforce is adapting to the working conditions.

Dr Sabrina Apicella has been researching the strike movement at Amazon since 2013 and published her doctoral thesis on the subject in 2021. On 3 July 2021, she presented her findings and discussed the implications for trade union action.

The conference of the network of the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation Lower Saxony-Bremen took place on Friday, 30 June 2023 in Hanover at the IGBCE premises (Königsworther Platz 6).

As part of the conference, we looked at the relevance of good working and qualification conditions for a sustainable skilled labour strategy in the context of transformation. In addition to the scientific examination of the topic, the conference discussed both the current situation in practice and the necessary political measures to deal with it. In workshops, we then focussed on the specific design needs of different groups of people across all sectors. With contributions from Michaela Evans (IAT Gelsenkirchen), Mark Baumeister (NGG), Stefan Friedrich (Lower Saxony Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Health), Michael Linnartz (IG BCE), Maximilian Schmidt (Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen) and others.

Further information on the programme can be found on the event page.

Experience the city as a learning space and make history tangible at various locations. This is possible with the help of a city tour. With the city tour on National Socialism in Oldenburg, we wanted to offer the opportunity to explore an important part of regional history. The tour was created by the Coordination Centre against Right-Wing Extremism and Xenophobia in Oldenburg, which is part of the Lower Saxony Work and Life Education Association.

The tour on National Socialism in Oldenburg covers almost four kilometres and has ten stops from the Pferdemarkt through the city centre to the old Oldenburg State Parliament and ends at the memorial wall for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Aspects such as possible reasons for the early successes of the NSDAP in Oldenburg, the war experiences of the city's inhabitants and the increasing anti-Semitism that ultimately led to the Holocaust are addressed at the memorial sites.

At each station, visitors were able to work out information independently and the space was open for dialogue. The stations were designed to appeal to people with and without prior knowledge. A free digital version of the city tour via Actionbound also makes it possible to retrace individual parts or the entire tour individually.

Speakers:
Jasmina Bindner, project worker at the Coordination Centre against Right-Wing Extremism and Xenophobia in Oldenburg

Participation in the event was free of charge.

The city tour took place as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies". The event was organised in cooperation with Bildungsvereinigung Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen Nord and DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

The organisers reserved the right to exercise their domiciliary rights and refuse entry to or exclude people from the event who belong to right-wing extremist parties or organisations, are associated with the right-wing extremist scene or have already made racist, nationalist, anti-Semitic or other inhumane statements in the past

Hybrid working is increasingly becoming the norm in many companies and organisations. Employees work partly on site at the company premises, partly from home or in other locations, be it in a café or while travelling. The establishment of hybrid working models goes hand in hand with new requirements for workplace concepts (e.g. saving office space), work organisation (e.g. remote working) and digitalisation (e.g. data security).

As part of the online exchange, we talked about challenges and experiences with hybrid working models in a relaxed atmosphere and discussed design options. There was also the opportunity to network with each other. Company management, interest groups, supervisors with personnel responsibility as well as employees, trade unionists and employers' associations were invited.

The online exchange took place as part of the future discourse "Hybrid workplaces - the normality of tomorrow". The Future Discourse is funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture. You can find more information on our project homepage.

12 former camps are located in what is now the district of Emsland. Thousands of people were imprisoned in the camps, including numerous "political prisoners" who stood in the way of the National Socialists enforcing their rule - Carl von Ossietzky was also interned in Esterwegen.

The event in the run-up to 8 May consisted of a joint bus trip from Oldenburg to the Esterwegen memorial site, which was intended to commemorate the Emsland camps. An information event and a guided tour of the exhibition rooms took place there. After a lunch break, the commemoration of the end of the Second World War began at the camp cemetery in Bockhorst. At the camp cemetery, a wreath was laid at the memorial stone for Carl von Ossietzky and red carnations were distributed. The Oldenburg branch, in co-operation with the AStA of the University of Oldenburg, the German Trade Union Federation - OL-Ostfriesland region, the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation and the ver.di works group C. v. O. University organised the event at the Esterwegen Memorial.

Participation in the event was free of charge.

The event was organised jointly by the ver.di Oldenburg local association, the AStA of the University of Oldenburg, the German Trade Union Federation - OL-Ostfriesland region, the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation and the ver.di works group of the University of Oldenburg.

The organisers reserve the right to exercise their domiciliary rights and to refuse entry to or exclude from the event persons who belong to right-wing extremist parties or organisations, are associated with the right-wing extremist scene or have already made racist, nationalist, anti-Semitic or other inhuman statements in the past

Tales of secret networks and sinister plans give every thriller that certain something. In internet forums and on radio stations dedicated to them, they take on such abstruse forms that political comedy programmes no longer even need to exaggerate them to emphasise their bizarre entertainment value. But Reichsbürger*innen, Kapitolstürmer*innen and right-wing terrorists make it clear how dangerous it can be when conspiracy myths shape entire world views.

In her lecture, Hannah Engelmann-Gith showed how various forms of misanthropy come together in current conspiracy narratives. In doing so, she drew on source material from right-wing extremist, but also Christian and middle-class milieus. In view of the link between anti-Semitism and racism with misogyny and queer hostility, she argues in favour of emancipatory alliance politics.

Advisor:
Hannah Engelmann-Gith is a volunteer advisor for the education and action network Wandel e.V. As a Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung doctoral scholarship holder, she researches anti-queer ideology.

Participation in the event was free of charge.

The event was organised by Students at Work | Campus Office of the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation in cooperation with the FemRef Autonomes Feministisches Referat of the University of Oldenburg. The lecture took place as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies" organised by the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, the Bildungsungsvereinigung Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

The organisers reserve the right to exercise their domiciliary rights and to refuse entry to or exclude from the event persons who belong to right-wing extremist parties or organisations, are associated with the right-wing extremist scene or have already made racist, nationalist, anti-Semitic or other inhumane statements in the past

25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Violence against women takes place every day, including in Germany: one in three women is a victim of physical and/or sexualised violence at least once in her life. In 2020, 139 women were killed by their partner or ex-partner in Germany, according to police statistics. There was an attempted murder every other day - although it is assumed that the number of unreported cases is much higher.

For the book "Femicides. Frauenmorde in Deutschland", authors Julia Cruschwitz and Carolin Haentjes spoke to scientists, criminologists, police officers, social workers, lawyers, survivors, witnesses and relatives and analysed scientific studies. Her book shows that femicide is a problem for society as a whole, but there are sensible ways to better protect women from male violence - we just have to finally take them.

Authors:
Julia Cruschwitz studied communication sciences, Hispanic studies and literature. She has been working as a freelance author for television since 2003, mainly for the political programmes FAKT and exakt from Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk.
Carolin Haentjes has been working as a freelance journalist and feature writer for Deutschlandradio and Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, among others, since completing her studies in political science, cultural studies and literature.

The online book launch took place as part of the event series "Frauen*realitäten verändern! Women in work, politics and society". The event was organised in cooperation with DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland and Bildungsvereinigung Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen Nord.

Working exclusively in the office is a thing of the past. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated absence from the workplace, working from home has characterised the everyday lives of many employees. In the meantime, home office use in Germany has levelled off at an average of 1.4 days per week for full-time employees. Hybrid working models, in which employees work partly on site at the company premises and partly from home or at other locations, have therefore become much more important for the world of work. Hybrid working is becoming the norm. The establishment of hybrid working models goes hand in hand with new requirements for workplace concepts (e.g. saving office space), work organisation (e.g. remote working) and digitalisation (e.g. data security).

The event focussed on the challenges of hybrid working models. Panel guests Dorothee Koch (Managing Director of the DGB Oldenburg Ostfriesland region), Dr Christian Pundt (District Administrator of the Oldenburg district) and Rea Kodalle (Managing Director of the Graduate School 3GO and member of the Staff Council of the University of Oldenburg) contributed their different perspectives and experiences.

The event marked the start of the practice-oriented future discourse "Hybrid workplaces - the normality of tomorrow", which discusses central challenges and problems as well as possible solutions for the design of location-flexible working models in a close exchange between practice and research. The Future Discourse is sponsored by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture. You can find more information on our project homepage.

In her presentation, Heike Radvan focussed on the roles, tasks and functions that women have assumed in (extreme) right-wing groups in the past and present. She focussed on the following questions: What ideas of gender are prevalent in right-wing ideology? And how are women who are involved in (extreme) right-wing groups perceived? Which dominant images are widespread and how do they pre-structure perceptions? At the end of the event, challenges and options for educational action were explored together with the participants.

Advisor:
Heike Radvan is a professor of "Methods and Theories of Social Work" at the Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus. In 2020, she was honoured with the Alice Salomon Award for her work against right-wing extremism, anti-Semitism and anti-feminism.

The evening lecture was part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies". The event is organised in cooperation with the educational association Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

We still live in a patriarchal society in Germany. This can be seen, for example, in the fact that women still bear the main burden of unpaid care work (caring and nursing activities), even if they are employed (even full-time). In addition, women are underrepresented in positions related to power and status - be it in management and decision-making bodies or parliaments. In order to counter these patriarchal structures, it is important to join forces and work together for gender equality in all areas of society.

In her presentation, Dr Britta Wittner discussed what feminists have already achieved in recent decades and what young feminists are currently trying to fight for. She then discussed with the participants practical ways in which different feminist movements can be networked in order to fight for a gender-equitable society with joint strength.

Advisor: Dr*in Britta Wittner, psychologist, works at the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation SüdOstNiedersachsen and the Chair of Work, Organisational & Social Psychology at the TU Braunschweig. Her work focusses on social and gender justice.

The lecture took place as part of the event series "Frauen*realitäten verändern! Women in work, politics and society". The event was organised in cooperation with the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland, the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord and the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation SüdOstNiedersachsen at the TU Braunschweig.

Many democratic achievements are being caught in the crossfire and democratic institutions are suddenly facing unusually strong criticism and even general mistrust. Political discussions are quickly becoming polarised and highly emotionally charged at all levels, from the Bundestag to the internet. There is not enough objective dialogue! With the Democracy Congress, the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland, together with its 14 district and city associations, would like to make a contribution to promoting precisely this objective exchange.

Democracy is not a sure-fire success, as history has shown and the present demonstrates. It does not run indefinitely, it has breaking points and it has to be reformed again and again. In order to prevent authoritarian systems in the future, we must therefore proactively engage with the organisation of our democracy: What makes it work? What are its pillars? What are its weaknesses? What is missing and what do we need, especially in view of the current problems, so that democracy can continue to function in the future?

The Democracy Congress on Saturday, 3 September 2022 at the PFL Cultural Centre in Oldenburg was dedicated to this important and wide range of topics. The state of democracy and co-determination in Germany was discussed in two introductory presentations. Afterwards, there was the opportunity to rethink and discuss various facets of the topic in 12 workshops. The topics of the workshops ranged from sustainability, changes in labour, citizen participation to lobbying, forms of protest and the fight against the right. The congress and workshops were open to anyone interested in exploring the questions of our democracy and future.

Participation in the event was free of charge. Further information on the congress and registration at: oldenburg-ostfriesland.dgb.de/demokratiekongress. If you have any questions, please contact: oldenburg@dgb.de or 0441- 2187610.

Organisers:

Anyone interested in history was invited to use their smartphone to go on a tour of the history of the city of Oldenburg during National Socialism. The Coordination Centre against Right-Wing Extremism and Xenophobia, which is part of the educational association Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen Nord, created the opportunity to explore this important part of the city's history using the free "Actionbound" app. The tour covers almost four kilometres over ten stops from Pferdemarkt, through the city centre, to the old state parliament and ends at the memorial wall for the Jewish victims of National Socialism in Oldenburg. At the event, the city tour was presented, undertaken together and additional information on its use in various educational contexts was provided.

Speakers:
Jasmina Bindner, project worker at the coordination centre against right-wing extremism and xenophobia in Oldenburg
Kevin Mennenga, education coordinator at the education association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord

The city tour took place as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies". The event is organised in cooperation with the educational association Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

The COVID-19 pandemic has played a significant role in shifting work to home offices for many employees. While employers had reservations about working from home before the pandemic, this scepticism gave way to widespread acceptance of this form of work after some time. Most employees and companies recognised advantages, in particular the elimination of commuting, the possibility of flexible and autonomous working hours and better work results. Even though disadvantages can certainly be observed, such as permanent availability or the increasing dissolution of work boundaries, most employees are (very) satisfied with working from home and would like to continue to use this work location in the future - although usually only on a few days a week. Both employees and companies are therefore in favour of hybrid forms of work between home office and on-site work.

Our project focused in particular on experiences with regulations for organising work from home. To this end, we looked at company and service agreements before and during the coronavirus pandemic. The main focus was on the question of which regulations have proven successful and what further regulation is required. The main results of the project were presented at the closing event and empirical findings were summarised.

In a keynote speech, Prof Dr Hajo Holst (University of Osnabrück) presented the results of the working environment monitor "Working in the coronavirus crisis" in relation to working from home. The results obtained from multiple surveys highlighted the various design requirements for good working from home in the future.

The event took place as part of the future discourse "Working between Home & Office" sponsored by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture. Further information on the future discourse can be found on our project homepage.

Short employment contracts, permanent fixed-term contracts, lots of overtime, no planning security - these are the characteristics of working conditions in science and research.
It has been clear since #IchBinHanna that reforms are urgently needed and overdue!
These precarious and difficult employment relationships are made possible by the WissZeitVG. This special law on fixed-term contracts, which only applies to academia, was introduced in 2007. It was revised in 2016 with the aim of putting an end to the misuse of fixed-term contracts and ensuring appropriate employment contract durations. A new evaluation commissioned by the BMBF has now analysed whether this goal has been achieved.
Unfortunately, no, says Sonja Staack, ver.di - Education, Science & Research. During the event, she will present the results of the evaluation and explain her assessment.
Dr Mathias Kuhnt, TU Dresden, presents the findings of an alternative evaluation of the WissZeitVG. The Network for Good Work in Science has initiated this to focus on working conditions in addition to the fixed-term situation. The speakers are connected online.

We cordially invite all academic staff and interested parties to discuss, formulate positions and demands and influence the reform process of the WissZeitVG.

The event is being organised in co-operation with the doctoral student representatives at the University of Oldenburg and the ver.di works group at the University of Oldenburg.

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes it clear that a rapid and radical transformation of our economy and way of life is necessary. But what does this require? How can we achieve climate neutrality by 2045 at the latest? And what measures should be implemented to achieve this, for example in the areas of transport, housing and the economy? Politicians discussed these and other questions with Fridays and Scientists for Future at the end of the ClimateKnowledge 2022 student project day.

Panel guests:

• Imke Haake, top candidate for the Lower Saxony state parliament of the Oldenburg FDP
• Olaf Lies, Environment Minister of Lower Saxony (SPD)
• Susanne Menge, Member of Parliament - Ammerland-Oldenburg constituency (Alliance 90/The Greens)
• Barbara Woltmann, Member of Oldenburg City Council (CDU)
• Jonas Berndmeyer (Fridays and Students for Future Hannover)
• Prof Dr Bernd Siebenhüner (Scientists for Future, University of Oldenburg)

Moderation: Anna Krämer (Climate Protection Manager at the University of Oldenburg)

Organisers:
University of Oldenburg (Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation and Didactic Centre for Teacher Training), Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch, Scientists for Future - Regional Group Oldenburg, Students for Future Oldenburg, Fridays for Future Leer, Fridays for Future Oldenburg, Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft - Weser-Ems

Parcel carrier Ricky Turner and his wife Abbie, who works as a carer for the elderly, have insecure jobs. Both suffer from their zero-hour contracts and Ricky can only find alternatives as a handyman or in construction. Because of his job, Ricky is obliged to hire a delivery van for his company with strict delivery times and to pay heavily in advance. He persuades his wife to sell her car, even though she needs it for her job. This is the only way he can pay for the van. Meanwhile, Ricky's debts increase immensely due to his employment situation and his wife's patients suffer more and more from neglect. A vicious circle from which the Turner family finds it difficult to break out. The film screening was followed by a discussion with Maria Olivotti, Chairwoman of the Works Council of German Post AG in the Oldenburg region.

The flyer for the film series "The changing world of work"

Anyone interested in history was invited to use their smartphone to go on a tour of the history of the city of Oldenburg during the Nazi era. The Coordination Centre against Right-Wing Extremism and Xenophobia, which is part of the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord, created the opportunity to explore this important part of the city's history using the free "Actionbound" app. The tour covers almost four kilometres over ten stops from Pferdemarkt, through the city centre, to the old state parliament and ends at the memorial wall for the Jewish victims of National Socialism in Oldenburg. At the event, the city tour was presented, undertaken together and additional information was provided on its use in various educational contexts. A smartphone and the "Actionbound" app were required for participation.

Speakers:
Jasmina Bindner, project worker at the coordination centre against right-wing extremism and xenophobia in Oldenburg
Kevin Mennenga, education coordinator at the education association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord

Participation in the event was free of charge.

The city tour took place as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies". The event was organised in cooperation with the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

The organisers reserved the right to exercise their domiciliary rights and refuse entry to or exclude from the event persons who belong to right-wing extremist parties or organisations, are associated with the right-wing extremist scene or have already made racist, nationalist, anti-Semitic or other inhumane statements in the past

Comic artist Raphaela and publisher Julie have been a couple for ten years, but now their relationship seems to be at an end. During one of their heated arguments, Raphaela falls, breaks her arm and the two end up in a Paris emergency room. Outside, violent protests by the "yellow waistcoats" are raging, the hospital is filling up with injured demonstrators, the staff are at their wits' end and the situation threatens to escalate. When the angry lorry driver Yann is transferred to Raphaela's room, prejudices and class resentment clash. But over the course of the eventful night, they also find a lot of common ground. The film tackles topical issues such as the nursing crisis in hospitals and the division of society. Their film, which celebrated its acclaimed world premiere at the last Cannes Film Festival, is as bitter as it is funny, as full of energy as it is touching.

The flyer for the film series "The changing world of work"

They are taking to the streets for "freedom and fundamental rights". For them, the state measures against the spread of COVID-19 are the first step towards a dictatorship. In this context, the mask requirement is seen as a political muzzle and the vaccination recommendation as a physical attack. In the Querdenken movement, critics of the coronavirus measures and opponents of vaccination join QAnon supporters and Reichsbewegte. Within a very short space of time, the movement has become so rapidly radicalised that individual actors have long been working with right-wing extremists. Those who prefer vegan food and alternative medicine, send their children to Waldorf institutions, seek spiritual fulfilment or protect nature and animals are not necessarily free of right-wing ideas and conspiracy narratives. In his lecture, Andreas Speit scrutinised values and ideas in alternative milieus that are often anything but progressive or emancipatory. In addition, options for action were discussed together with the participants.

Speaker: Andreas Speit is a freelance journalist, author and publisher of numerous books on right-wing extremism and neo-Nazism in Europe. He has received several awards for his work, including "TON ANGEBEN. Right-wing extremism as reflected in the media" (2012).

The evening lecture took place as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies" took place. The event was organised in cooperation with the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

Material from the workshop "Working from home without boundaries - how to counteract this?"
Prof. Dr. Jan Dettmers, FernUniverstät in Hagen, Industrial and Organisational Psychology

Working from home has long been the norm for many employees and is favoured by the majority. Greater self-determination and organisational autonomy, the elimination of commuting times, a better work-life balance or a better compatibility of academic appointment and private life are often cited as advantages. At the same time, however, the risk of overload is increasing for many people, which is primarily linked to the phenomenon of work becoming unbounded: employers' constant demands for availability can be observed, as can the excessive demands placed on employees to set boundaries between work and private life and to legitimise these to others and themselves.

The negative side effects of unbounded working can also be seen in connection with new management methods, which are referred to as "indirect management". Here, entrepreneurial success criteria are applied to the work of dependent employees and internalised by them to a much greater extent than in previous work regimes of direct control. This gives rise to phenomena that are discussed under the heading of "interested self-endangerment". These manifest themselves in presenteeism and unhealthy behaviour at work and have a negative impact on the ability to work and private life. Corporate business goals are prioritised over personal health.

In order to avoid the negative effects of remote working, individual and collective reflection on the organisation of availability requirements is necessary in addition to strengthening self-management skills. These coping strategies were presented and tested in practice during the workshop.

The speaker at the workshop was Prof. Dr Jan Dettmers, work and organisational psychologist at the Fern Universität Hagen. He has been researching the topic of work and health and the effects of unbounded work for many years. Among other things, he has developed a design and training concept for dealing with extended availability in a way that promotes health.

The event took place as part of the future discourse "Working between Home & Office" sponsored by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture.

The event was aimed at company and institution managers as well as Works and Staff Councils and other interested representatives of companies and institutions.

Further information can be found on our project homepage.

Incel - the term stands for "involuntary celibate" and means something like "involuntary celibacy", i.e. people who live involuntarily without a partnership or sex. Incels are (often young) men who have been organising themselves online on platforms for years, clearly naming culprits who are supposed to be responsible for their misery: Women. Misogynistic hatred, violent fantasies and calls for violence are not limited to the online space, however.

Since 2014 at the latest, it has been clear that the fantasised attacks on women are being put into practice. On 23 May 2014, Elliot Rodgers murdered six people and injured 13 others in California. He left behind a page-long anti-feminist and deeply misogynistic manifesto. This was followed by further acts of violence that invoked Rodgers' manifesto and the Incel ideology.

The Incel ideology is spread globally - including in Germany. The attackers in Halle and Hanau clearly publicised their hatred of women, spread anti-feminist propaganda and used Incel platforms. However, the phenomenon has received little attention in Germany to date and the danger posed to women by incels is underestimated by the authorities.

Veronika Kracher gets to the bottom of the phenomenon in her book "Incels: Geschichte, Sprache und Ideologie eines Online-Kults" (2020, ventil-Verlag). At the event, she read from her book online and gave insights into the history of the movement, the memes and language of the Incels and their ideology. Afterwards, there was the opportunity to ask questions and discuss with the author.

Advisor: Veronika Kracher is a sociologist, author and journalist who specialises in the incel subculture, the alt-right, image boards such as 4chan and right-wing terrorism. Other research focuses include feminism and critique of patriarchy, anti-Semitism, literary theory and pop culture. Her regular publications appear in "konkret", "Jungle World" and "Neues Deutschland", among others.

The reading was part of the event series "Frauen*realitäten verändern! Women in work, politics and society". The event was organised in cooperation with the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland and the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord.

It is no coincidence that conspiracy myths of all kinds are being formed around the coronavirus. Research into the novel virus is still in its infancy and the door is wide open for myths and speculation. The conspiracy narratives very often have an anti-Semitic basis or can be linked to anti-Semitic attempts to explain the world - and this at a time when anti-Semitism is more evident and open than in previous decades. In his lecture, Rolf Schleyer explored the question of whether and where connections can be drawn between traditional anti-Jewish myths and conspiracy narratives and current anti-Semitic statements in the context of the pandemic.

Speaker: Rolf Schleyer, political scientist, lecturer at the Federal Education Centre in Wetzlar and founding member of the Network for Political Education, Culture and Communication e.V.

The evening lecture took place as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies". The event was organised in cooperation with the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

Lecture material for the event:
Conspiracy thinking and anti-Semitism in times of the pandemic

The transformation of industrialised society into a carbon-neutral economy and way of life will lead to major upheavals and upheavals that will put trade unions in particular under considerable pressure. Klaus Dörre speaks of an "economic-ecological pincer crisis" in which trade unions find themselves: on the one hand, climate change is forcing a CO2-neutral economy with completely new products and concepts; on the other hand, the previous strategy of redistribution will no longer work because the redistribution mass from the surplus product has so far been fed by fossil-based economic growth, which is no longer ecologically sustainable. There is enormous pressure on the labour force to simply secure jobs. However, this puts trade unions in danger of only protecting the status quo and fighting against ecological regulations.

The discussion with Klaus Dörre is an in-depth discussion of an introductory event that took place on 22 February 2021. The focus will be on questions of how to shape a sustainability revolution, which Dörre sees as a key to overcoming the pincer crisis while at the same time pursuing a policy of redistribution. Concepts of a Green New Deal will be scrutinised in the same way as forms of economic democracy to steer a sustainability revolution.

The input has already been published in the form of a video with slides on the documentation page for the event. The event will take place online, registration using the registration form is required.

The event is being organised in co-operation with the Linkes Forum Oldenburg.

Journalists Caterina Woj and Andrea Röpke spent over a year researching right-wing influence in schools in Germany for the WDR documentary. The problem has been suppressed until now, and it is not only counselling centres that are sounding the alarm. It is right-wing extremist teachers or parents with anti-democratic views who are trying to expand areas of power, especially in independent schools. Stealthily and initially unnoticed, they use the opportunities offered by self-administration and co-determination rights to exert ideological influence on children and teaching content. The authors of the WDR documentary have followed many cases and realised how afraid the parents and teachers affected are to speak openly about them. The film illustrates the full extent of the problem using the example of some schools, such as in Minden and Güstrow, and presents options for action for those affected.
Another film by Röpke and Woj on the subject was produced for the Mobile Counselling Prevention Service in Lower Saxony: www.wabe-info.de/portal/meldungen/der-film-jetzt-online-freie-schulen-im-visier-der-extremen-rechten-900000410-10007.html?rubrik=900000001

Andrea Röpke is a freelance journalist and author specialising in National Socialism and right-wing extremism. Andrea Röpke has received several awards for her research, including the "Paul Spiegel Prize for Civil Courage" (2015) and the "Otto Brenner Prize" (2017).
Caterina Woj produces and realises documentary films, documentaries, reports, magazine articles and radio features. Her work has received several awards. She is also a guest lecturer at the Berlin University of the Arts on the "Cultural Journalism" master's programme.

The evening lecture took place as part of the series of events entitled "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies" took place. The event was organised in cooperation with the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

Speakers: Prof. Dr Wolfgang Däubler, (labour law expert, former University of Bremen).

In many companies and organisations, there is a growing need to further develop the "emergency regulations" for working from home made during the coronavirus pandemic and to establish binding rules. Most employees - although not all - want to continue working from home at least part of the time. This has a variety of consequences for work organisation.

In the workshop, we took a closer look at the key content of service and works agreements and discussed strategies for negotiation processes. To this end, Prof. Dr Wolfgang Däubler gave a presentation explaining the labour law background to the various regulatory aspects of teleworking, working from home and mobile working. This was followed by a joint exploration of specific implementation options, including the aspects of authorisation and access to home office, (health-friendly) design of office and home office workplaces, cost distribution and working hours/availability.

The event was aimed at company and institution managers as well as works and Staff Councils and other interested representatives of companies and institutions.
Presentation of the workshop

Further information on the project: uol.de/kooperationsstelle/homeoffice

A side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany is the mobilisation potential that resistance to an alleged global conspiracy can generate. This is because the measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic or the pandemic itself are seen as such a conspiracy by some of the population. The protesting groups are united by the belief that they are being deceived and manipulated by a more or less specific group. Anti-Semitic narratives are openly spread as part of these conspiracy ideologies. What new and old manifestations of anti-Semitism are and to what extent conspiracy ideologies have to do with them was the topic of the lecture. It was not limited to an abstract discussion, but used concrete incidents from the work of the Research and Information Centre on Anti-Semitism (RIAS) to show how anti-Semitism presents itself today and what motives are behind it.

Helge Regner is an employee of RIAS. His work focuses on political theory and international relations as well as analysing theories of inequality. He has also been involved in trade union education work for many years.

The evening lecture took place as part of the series of events entitled "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies" took place. The event was organised in cooperation with the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

In many companies and organisations, there is a growing need to develop the "emergency regulations" for working from home that were put in place during the coronavirus pandemic into regular service or works agreements. Both employers and Works and Staff Councils are faced with the challenge of drafting satisfactory regulations together, as most employees want to continue working from home at least part of the time. This has a variety of consequences for work organisation.

In the workshop, we took a closer look at various regulatory aspects of service and works agreements. These included topics such as the decision-making processes for working from home, issues relating to the (health-friendly) design of office and home office workplaces and the costs to be incurred, as well as aspects of data protection, liability and insurance regulations and working time regulations. Specific regulatory options were discussed in thematically changing small groups. Participants were able to put forward their own thematic wishes and there was also a constructive exchange of ideas.

The event was aimed at company and institution management as well as works and Staff Councils and other interested representatives of companies and institutions.

Further information on the project: uol.de/kooperationsstelle/homeoffice

Anti-feminism is increasingly becoming the focus of social debate and is often associated with the rise of the New Right. The Leipzig Authoritarianism Study (2020), which researches right-wing extremist attitudes in the German population, is the first time the phenomenon of anti-feminism has been mentioned. But what exactly does anti-feminism mean? How does the term differ from sexism and misogyny? And is it actually a new social phenomenon?
The lecture focused on anti-feminist movements that organise themselves on the social web and are linked by the narrative of "gender mania". Masculists, men's rights groups and pro-life movements spread hate and agitation online against everything that has to do with 'gender'. Using the example of queer-feminist online activists, who are significantly affected by anti-feminist digital violence, counter-strategies were presented and a discussion held on how to deal with anti-feminism appropriately.

Anja Roß is a media educator and works as a research assistant at the University of Oldenburg. She is writing her doctoral thesis on queer-feminist activism online and digital violence.

The event was organised by Students at Work | Campus Office of the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation in cooperation with ver.di Jugend Weser Ems and the Autonomous Feminist Department of the University of Oldenburg. The evening lecture took place as part of the series of events entitled "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies" organised by the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

Both employers and works and Staff Councils are facing the challenge of regulating working from home in regular service and works agreements even after the coronavirus pandemic. This is because most employees want to continue working from home at least part of the time. The whole range of regulations on entitlements, working hours, availability, equipment, data protection and data security aspects, etc. will be covered. As many institutions and companies are currently in the process of drawing up or revising agreements, there is a great need for dialogue.

The regulars' table was a forum for works and Staff Councils, trade unionists and company and institution managers or "HR managers" who are faced with the task of agreeing company regulations on working from home.

Further information on the project: uol.de/kooperationsstelle/homeoffice

In many companies and organisations, there is a growing need to develop the "emergency regulations" for working from home that were put in place during the coronavirus pandemic into regular service or works agreements. Employers as well as works councils and Staff Councils are faced with the challenge of drafting satisfactory regulations together, as most employees want to continue working from home at least part of the time. This has a variety of consequences for work organisation.

In the workshop, we will take a closer look at various regulatory aspects of service and works agreements. These include topics such as the decision-making processes for working from home, issues relating to the (health-friendly) design of office and home office workplaces and the costs to be incurred, as well as aspects of data protection, liability and insurance regulations and working time regulations. Specific regulatory options are discussed in thematically changing small groups. Participants can bring in their own thematic wishes. Sufficient time is provided for constructive dialogue.

The event is aimed at company and institution management as well as works and Staff Councils and other interested representatives of companies and institutions. The workshop provides the necessary knowledge for the work of the company interest representation and thus complies with the exemption requirements of §37 (6) BetrVG and §40 in conjunction with §37 (1) NPersVG as well as §39 (5) BremPersVG in conjunction with §41 (1) BremPersVG. A separate resolution of the Works Council or Staff Council is required for participation.

Unfortunately, the event is fully booked due to high demand. However, you can register on the waiting list and will be notified as soon as places become available.

Further information on the project: uol.de/kooperationsstelle/homeoffice

People who want to break away from right-wing extremist scenes are often confronted with a variety of problems - threats from former "comrades", social isolation, problems in the housing and labour market and, last but not least, an inhuman ideology that must be dealt with in a lengthy process if the break from the "movement" is to be sustainable and successful. Germany now offers a wide range of special distancing and exit programmes.
Since July 2020, there has also been a civil society-organised offer for north-west Lower Saxony with "Distance - Ausstieg Rechts". The lecture will provide an insight into exit processes as well as practical, educational support for those leaving right-wing extremist contexts.

Dr Christian Pfeil is an educational scientist and completed his doctorate on the topic of "Exit processes from right-wing extremist scene contexts". As part of his teaching activities at the University of Oldenburg, he is scientifically involved with entry and exit processes.
Since 2020, he has been the coordinator of the civil society exit support organisation "Distance - Ausstieg Rechts" for north-west Lower Saxony

Participation in the event is free of charge. Please register using the online registration form or by emailing . The venue will be communicated in good time.

The evening lecture is part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies" takes place. The event is being organised in cooperation with the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

The organisers reserve the right to exercise their domiciliary rights and to refuse entry to or exclude from the event persons who belong to right-wing extremist parties or organisations, are associated with the right-wing extremist scene or have already made racist, nationalist, anti-Semitic or other inhumane statements in the past

Women are relevant, rebellious, revolutionary!

• Are you interested in women's rights, equal rights and equal opportunities?
• Are you involved in this field on a voluntary or academic appointment basis?
• Do you want social life to be gender-equitable and diverse?
• Do you think it's high time to create a strong alliance?

We think so too!

Together with you, we want to make various women*'s realities visible at events and campaign for necessary changes in work, politics and society.
We cordially invite you to the next online exchange on 07 September 2021 from 18:00 to 20:00.

New registrations please send an email to or call 0441 2187610.

The event is organised by the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation in cooperation with the DGB Region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland and the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord.

The demand for housing in Oldenburg and the region is increasing, and affordable flats in particular are hard to find. Property and rental prices have been rising much faster than the inflation rate for years. As a result, more and more people are having to spend an increasing proportion of their income on housing. Housing is no longer just an expression of social inequality, but increasingly also a cause of it. This is because property ownership is rare among households with less than the average income, meaning that lower income groups in particular are affected by rising rents. In future, the demand for affordable housing is likely to increase even further if the population in Oldenburg increases according to the city's forecasts.
Housing policy to date has not been able to limit the rise in rents and provide sufficient affordable housing. On the contrary, for example, the number of social housing units in the city of Oldenburg fell from 3,850 in 2005 to 2,500 in 2019, which only accounts for 2.7 % of all housing units. A radical turnaround is needed in housing policy, both at municipal and federal level.
In the run-up to the upcoming local and federal elections, we invited the parties standing for election to discuss ways out of the housing policy misery. In our view, housing supply must not be left to the market. Above all, a federal and local political framework must be created: the public sector must build housing itself again, housing construction must become non-profit again and a rent cap must effectively limit price increases.

With: Hans-Henning Adler (councillor, DIE LINKE Oldenburg), Daniel Fuhrhop (mayoral candidate for BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN), Klaus Raschke (councillor, CDU Oldenburg), Dennis Rohde (member of the Bundestag for the SPD) and Benno Schulz (district executive of the FDP Oldenburg-Stadt)

Moderation: Dorothee Koch (Regional Managing Director, DGB region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland)

Oldenburg Alliance Housing for All:

ALSO Arbeitslosenselbsthilfe Oldenburg e.V., attac Regionalgruppe Oldenburg, Bündnis 90/DIE GRÜNEN - Stadtverband Oldenburg, DGB Region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland, Industriegewerkschaft Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt IG BAU - Weser-Ems, DIE LINKEN - Kreisverband Oldenburg, ver.di Orstverein Oldenburg

in co-operation with the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation at the University of Oldenburg

with Dierk Hirschel, Chief Economist of the trade union ver.di and the ver.di works group at CvO University Oldenburg

Employers usually call for wage restraint after a crisis. Calls for lower wages, an increase in the retirement age to 68 or 70 and fewer holidays are already being heard, including from the world of economics. Employees have already had to bear considerable burdens and accept losses: People have lost their jobs, many were and are on short-time working or have had considerable additional burdens for months due to working from home or managing the crisis situation. In real and nominal terms, many employees have less in their pockets than before the coronavirus crisis.

This raises the question: who should pay for the crisis and who should shoulder the burden? The majority of employers and their economists are calling for the public sector to make savings at the expense of wages and social benefits. The chief economist at ver.di, Dierk Hirschel, on the other hand, is in favour of the exact opposite: in a crisis, the state must ensure that demand is stimulated. Therefore, wage restraint under inflation compensation cannot be the answer, but can lead to an exacerbation of the crisis.

In addition to a lecture by Dierk Hirschel, representatives of the ver.di works group at the University of Oldenburg discussed what solidarity means in the crisis and to what extent employees should make offensive demands in the next wage dispute after the summer break.

The event took place as part of the series "Who pays the bill? Social and economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis". Further events are planned.

Organisers: Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation, DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland region, education association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen and ver.di works group at the University of Oldenburg

Lecture
After the corona crisis: wage restraint or income growth?
Dr Dierk Hirschel, Head of Economic Policy, ver.di Federal Administration

with contributions from State Secretary Dr Sabine Johannsen, Deputy GEW Chairman Andreas Keller and Prof Dr Peer Pasternack, among others.

In addition to research and teaching, universities also have a "third mission". This involves knowledge transfer and mutual networking between universities and stakeholders from business, politics, culture and civil society. In February 2020, the Lower Saxony state parliament called for this 'third mission' to be "anchored as a fundamental building block alongside research and teaching" and "to intensify the existing activities within the framework of third mission and to develop an interdepartmental state transfer strategy with the involvement of chambers, associations, trade unions and expertise from science and research".

The importance of these activities is demonstrated not least by the current coronavirus and climate crisis and the associated social challenges. This is because science has a key role to play in society in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Politicians are asking scientists for advice on camera, and more and more serious political decisions are being made based on scientific findings that could radically change social life. What social responsibility does science have here? What role does science play? To what extent are questions from the world of work adequately taken into account? Which perspectives and actors are involved in overcoming crisis situations and social transformation processes, and which are ignored?

The aim of the conference was to discuss and rethink the social responsibility of science against the background of our current experiences. The focus was on three topics: sustainable mobility; working from home and mobile forms of work; and the healthcare system after the coronavirus crisis.

In presentations and panel discussions, various needs and demands on science were discussed and the social benefits, especially for employees and trade unions, were addressed. In addition, the conference aimed to discuss networking and cooperation opportunities between science and the world of work in more detail and to jointly consider how cooperation centres can make a greater contribution to this.

The conference was organised by the Network of Cooperation Centres for Universities and Trade Unions in Lower Saxony and Bremen. Participation was free of charge.

With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, many employees have shifted to working from home. While a few months ago it was assumed that there would be a short-term increase in working from home, it has long been clear that even after the pandemic, a large proportion of employees will continue to work from home in whole or in part. However, the last few months have clearly shown that working from home does not automatically lead to good working conditions. Against the background of these experiences, the question arises as to which company regulations have proven successful, what further agreements are needed and what further education and training is useful and necessary to ensure socially and health-compatible working from home. The associated challenges and various solutions are analysed in the practical project.

"Working between home and office" ties in with the recently completed future discourse "Digital - Mobile" and the research project "prentimo - prevention-oriented design of mobile work". As part of an online survey and various event formats, the opportunities and risks of home office models are to be analysed and communicated in their concrete form and supported with best practice examples to accompany the process. The possibilities for realising opportunities and preventing risks associated with working from home from the perspective of the stakeholder groups involved will be taken into account. The project is aimed at employees, interest groups, trade unions, employers and employers' associations, further education institutions and municipal representatives from the fields of labour, family, equal opportunities, health and economic policy.

Programme of the kick-off event
- 17:00 Opening
- 17:15 Lecture and discussion
Home office in the service sector - opportunities, risks and design options
Dr. Elke Ahlers, Hans Böckler Foundation
- 18:00 Lecture and discussion
Working from home - experiences at the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband
Christoph Oltmann, Niklas Mosch, OOWV
- 18:30 Discourse on the future: content and implementation
- 19:00 End of the event

Lecture
Working from home in the service sector - opportunities, risks and design options
Dr Elke Ahlers, WSI of the Hans Böckler Foundation, Düsseldorf

Presentation
Working from home - experiences at the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband
Christoph Oltmann, Niklas Mosch, OOWV
Anyone interested can contact Christoph Oltmann,
or Niklas Mosch, directly .

In the course of the coronavirus pandemic, the poor working and living conditions in the meat processing industry that have been observed for years have come to the fore. These can be explained above all by the massive use of contracts for work and temporary work, especially with mostly Eastern European workers, whereby labour protection conditions are systematically undermined and the lowest wages are paid in the industry. The conditions are described as ranging from "organised irresponsibility" (NRW Labour Minister Karl-Josef Laumann) to "modern slavery" (Pastor Peter Kossen). At the end of 2020, the Labour Protection Control Act largely banned contracts for work (as of 1 January 2021) and temporary work (as of 1 April 2021) - under specific conditions in each case.

In doing so, the legislator is recognising that effective occupational health and safety can only be achieved through direct control in the processing company and not with an opaque system of subcontractors who assign responsibility to each other. The hitherto "successful" business model of industrial meat processing in conjunction with strong and globally operating trading groups and a growing export business has so far been defended against all existing attempts at regulation (industry minimum wage, voluntary commitments, etc.). The question will be whether the agreed regulations will have an effect and what other framework conditions need to be changed in order to substantially improve working and living conditions. And how should we assess the collective agreement reached with the NGG trade union in the meat industry at the end of May 2021, which agreed industry-wide minimum wages and allowed the limited use of temporary labour?

with Matthias Brümmer (Managing Director of the NGG food, beverages and catering trade union - Oldenburg/East Friesland region)

When serious riots broke out between demonstrators and the People's Police at Dresden's main railway station at the beginning of October 1989, numerous supporters of SG Dynamo Dresden were also present. Football fans in Leipzig also followed the call for the Monday demonstrations that heralded the end of the GDR. While the period leading up to the unification of the FRG and GDR went down in the history books as a peaceful revolution, football presented a completely different picture in the last two seasons of the GDR's top division. From the 1970s onwards, football fan culture in the GDR was very popular, especially among young men. The international successes of the GDR clubs inspired tens of thousands of people and at the same time created a space for articulations outside the conformist code of behaviour of the SED. The lecture took a look back at the "Wild Times", in which social upheaval, social insecurity and new political developments had a massive impact on people and sport.

Mark Haarfeldt is a speaker at the DGB-Bildungswerk (Federation) and also a volunteer at the Duisburg Institute for Linguistic and Social Research

The evening lecture was organised in co-operation with VfB für Alle e. V. as part of the event series "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies" took place. The event was organised in cooperation with the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

Economic pressure in inpatient healthcare has been a reality since the introduction of a flat rate per case system in 2003 and leads to inadequate care at the expense of patients' health. The current pandemic situation drastically illustrates the need for changes in the financing of (nursing) healthcare. Against this backdrop, the film "Der marktgerechte Patient" (2018) has become even more relevant. The film screening was followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and representatives of the trade union ver.di.

Programme:

• 17:30 - 17:45 Introduction to the film
• 17:45 - 19:15 Online film screening "The market-driven patient" (82 min)
• 19:15 - 19:30 Break
• 19:30 - 21:00 Discussion with the filmmakers and ver.di about (political) options for action

Book presentation and lecture with Robert Claus

In recent years, neo-Nazis have specifically invested in building up their own structures in combat sports - from the "III. Weg" party to the "Kampf der Nibelungen" event. There they recruit young talent, finance and network their scene nationally and throughout Europe. Last but not least, they train their political violence and practise street fighting for the much-invoked Day X - the day they seize power.

Robert Claus has been researching martial arts in the extreme right for many years and gave an overview of the development of actors and networks as well as their ideology. All democratic guests were also cordially invited to discuss prevention options.

Robert Claus researches and lectures on the topics of hooliganism and violence, right-wing extremism and martial arts.

The evening lecture took place as part of the series of events "Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanations and counter-strategies" took place. The event was organised in cooperation with the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord and the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland.

Are women less interested in politics or are there structural barriers that make it difficult for women to be active in politics? We got to the bottom of this question together with Amira Mohamed Ali.

If you want to help shape politics in positions of responsibility, you can't avoid political parties. However, parties are not very attractive to women. This applies both to membership and to taking office in a party. In the extra-parliamentary sphere, the gender differences are much smaller. What do parties need to change in order to attract active women? What role does the media play in this? Amira Mohamed Ali reported on the current situation of women in politics, obstacles and necessary changes. She naturally drew on her own experiences from her everyday life as a politician. The event concluded with a discussion with the participants about goals, experiences and the need for action for women in politics.

Advisor: Amira Mohamend Ali has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2017. Together with Dietmar Bartsch, she was elected parliamentary party leader of DIE LINKE in the Bundestag on 12 November 2019.

The lecture was part of the event series "Frauen*realitäten verändern! Women in work, politics and society". The event was organised in cooperation with the DGB Oldenburg-Ostfriesland and the educational association ARBEIT UND LEBEN Niedersachsen Nord.

It is not only in the large metropolises that housing costs and rents are rising rapidly; rents in Oldenburg have also risen by over a third in the last 7 years in some cases. Instead of affordable flats, almost only luxury flats have been built. At the same time, the number of council flats is falling rapidly to just over 2,500, which accounts for only 2.7% of all flats in the city of Oldenburg. The market has repeatedly failed to provide affordable housing.
Many are calling for the local authority to build housing itself so that affordable housing is available in the long term. Municipal land should also only be allocated on a leasehold basis if it is not built on itself. However, the administration and parts of the Oldenburg City Council are resisting this, continuing to favour private investors and wanting to sell off the last available municipal land. This must be countered by a "housing turnaround" and the city must finally build affordable housing in the lower price segment itself!
At the event, Heinz-J. Bontrup shed light on the causes of the current crisis in the supply of affordable housing and explained the need for public construction.

Speaker: Prof. Dr Heinz-J. Bontrup, former Westphalian University of Applied Sciences, spokesperson for the Alternative Economic Policy working group.

Further information can be found in the flyer.

In recent months, the situation for women on the labour market has worsened due to the pandemic. Additional workloads in the home office or the high employment rate of women in mini-jobs are just two examples. Poor pay and insecurity are just some of the consequences. Even before the pandemic, women were already struggling with the gender pay gap and other disadvantages in the labour market.

In her presentation, Elke Hannack will talk about the current situation with its hurdles and prospects as well as the importance of organisation and co-determination for women. She will also give an insight into her own path as a woman in the trade union and on the political stage. Finally, goals, experiences and the need for action for women in the world of work will be discussed with the participants.

Advisor: Elke Hannack has been deputy federal chairwoman of the German Trade Union Confederation since 2013 and has been active as a trade unionist for many decades, first on a voluntary basis as works council and general works council chairwoman, later full-time. As a woman in the trade union and political arena, she is committed to women's, equal opportunities and family policy, among other things.

Registration: The event will take place online and is free of charge.
The link to the event is available after registration via email to
The registration deadline is 25 April 2021

The transformation of industrialised society into a carbon-neutral economy and way of life will lead to major upheavals and upheavals that will put trade unions in particular under considerable pressure. Klaus Dörre speaks of an "economic-ecological pincer crisis" in which trade unions find themselves: on the one hand, climate change is forcing a CO2-neutral economy with completely new products and concepts; on the other hand, the previous strategy of redistribution will no longer work because the redistribution mass from the surplus product has so far been fed by fossil-based economic growth, which is no longer ecologically sustainable. There is enormous pressure on the labour force to simply secure jobs. However, this puts trade unions in danger of only protecting the status quo and fighting against ecological regulations.

The discussion with Klaus Dörre was an in-depth discussion of an introductory event that took place on 22 February 2021. The discussion centred on questions of how to shape a sustainability revolution, which Dörre sees as a key to overcoming the pincer crisis while simultaneously pursuing a policy of redistribution. Concepts of a Green New Deal were scrutinised in the same way as forms of economic democracy to steer a sustainability revolution.

The input in the form of a slide presentation is published on the documentation page for the event.

The event was organised in co-operation with the Left Forum Oldenburg.

The Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation played a leading role with the Didactic Centre in organising the ClimateKnowledge 2021 project day for pupils. The first "KlimaWissen2021" project day took place on 25 March 2021, during which more than 1,000 interested pupils in over 50 classes discussed climate change, climate impacts and climate protection online with 36 scientists. Among the events on offer, the University of Oldenburg was represented with 16 events.

In the ClimateTalks, pupils in years 9 to 13 from general and vocational schools had complex scientific relationships explained to them, discussed the effectiveness of political measures with the scientists, talked about how to deal with climate fears and also about individual options for action.

The response to the event was very positive, with many topics fully booked even before the registration deadline. There was a great deal of interest in the programme, as the various topics such as climate science, flora & fauna, energy & transport, economics & politics, climate in everyday life, climate change & climate impacts could be integrated into various subjects.

A new event format was developed for "ClimateKnowledge 2021". It was organised in two phases: In the first phase, the class delved deeper into a specific climate topic as part of the lesson with the help of a video created exclusively for the event. In the second phase, a digital live exchange with the scientists on the selected topics then took place on the project day on 25 March 2021.

Initial feedback on this new concept has been very positive, as the format could be implemented flexibly under coronavirus conditions and, depending on interest, could be booked as a one-hour live event or as a project day. In addition, the concept of informal dialogue worked well. Through the preparation in class, the pupils immersed themselves in a climate topic and were able to exchange ideas in a correspondingly qualified manner in the ClimateTalk and learn a lot about climate research as well as possible courses of action.

The innovative event format was initiated by regional groups from the Fridays for Future movement. The project day is a joint initiative of various stakeholders and was organised under the leadership of the Cooperation Centre-University Trade Unions and the Centre for Teacher Training - Didactic Centre of the University of Oldenburg.

In addition to the University of Oldenburg, the following organisations were involved in the KlimaWissen 2021 event Scientists for Future Oldenburg, Fridays for Future Oldenburg and Leer, Students for Future Oldenburg, the State Museum of Nature and Man Oldenburg and the Education and Science Trade Union.

Further information can be found on the project website.

The transformation of industrialised society into a carbon-neutral economy and way of life will lead to major upheavals and upheavals that will put trade unions in particular under considerable pressure. Klaus Dörre speaks of an "economic-ecological pincer crisis" in which trade unions find themselves: on the one hand, climate change is forcing a CO2-neutral economy with completely new products and concepts; on the other hand, the previous strategy of redistribution will no longer work because the redistribution mass from the surplus product has so far been fed by fossil-based economic growth, which is no longer ecologically sustainable.

There is enormous pressure on the labour force to simply secure jobs. However, this puts trade unions in danger of only protecting the status quo and fighting against ecological regulations. How can trade unions and works councils, on the other hand, become "transformative" actors that reconcile ecological goals with social goals?

The input was published in the form of a slide presentation one week before the event on the documentation page, where further materials on the topic are available. At 22. February 2021, there was the opportunity to join the discussion with the speaker online via BigBlueButton.

The pressure on the mobility industry to transform due to climate protection targets, which require a virtually emission-free transport sector by 2050, has reached a new dimension. At the same time, the industry is undergoing a profound restructuring due to the processes of digitalisation and automation as well as completely new challenges posed by global competition. Taken together, it is no exaggeration to speak of a historic dimension of transformation.

The great importance of the mobility industry in Lower Saxony poses a particular challenge for the state. The automotive and supplier industry in particular must be described as a "key industry" due to its large number of employees and its outstanding economic position.

The major car manufacturers are responding to the ecological challenges with different strategies: electromobility, sharing systems, hydrogen vehicles and many more. What challenges do manufacturers, but also the state, local authorities and users have to overcome? And what dilemmas does the transformation process pose for employees and their interest groups? What strategies can and should trade unions pursue?

The input in the form of a slide presentation has been published here. On the day of the event , there was the opportunity to discuss with the speaker online via BigBlueButton.