In the second season of our podcast "Thanks for nothing" We focused intensively on labor struggles in care work. In five interviews, we discussed these issues with our guests, learned from each other, and explored what concrete labor struggles in paid care work can look like – and how unpaid care work affects wage labor relationships. In this article, we would like to share our key findings and reflections from this series.
While awareness of class relations is growing within feminist initiatives and movements, it is also becoming clear that marginalized communities remain underrepresented in the consideration of their struggles. This is particularly evident when looking at who is active in established unions and who is not: Outreach to trans* people, caregivers, and BIPOC, among others, needs improvement. At the same time, the labor struggles of marginalized people are very much alive. Many organize outside of traditional union structures, thereby trying to increase their visibility and exert pressure on employers, or advocating for improvements in labor law.
In the course of this, we have learned how multifaceted union work can be in the care context. Care work – both paid and unpaid – is often performed under precarious working conditions. This demonstrates that a union understanding primarily focused on collectively bargained groups is insufficient to strengthen struggles in the care sector. Rather, we assume that all those groups and individuals who advocate for better working and living conditions for care workers are also engaged in union work – be it self-organizations, mutual aid networks, or other forms of union activity.1] or self-organized working groups.
Our vision is fundamental: Care should be placed at the center of society and reorganized, ultimately becoming socialized. Our podcast sees itself as a contribution to this vision – as a catalyst for discussions and political debates.
In the first episode We spoke together with Ariane from ver.di Stuttgart and Tabea from Leipzig stands together The discussion focused on how alliances and unions can strike together for feminist causes and the challenges they face. It became clear that, particularly around March 8th and during major wage negotiations, there are already important points of contact where activists can network with colleagues and engage in political work. At the same time, it highlighted where feminist concerns need to be more firmly anchored within unions.
Our preview of Halina We carried out in the second episode We shifted our perspective and asked about the obstacles family caregivers face and what their daily work life is like. Due to her child's care needs and a lack of consideration from her employer, she is currently unable to work. From her point of view, it became clear that her union, ver.di, has a significant need to catch up: she feels neither adequately represented in its struggles for care work and wage labor, nor does she take it for granted that she will find a place within the union – despite having been a union member since her youth.
Janet and Maria from the organization Trabajo Migrante/Bloque Latinoamericano reported in the third episode about their working conditions and struggles as migrant care workers. While Janet shared her experiences as an au pair, Maria showed how au pairs organize themselves and what structural problems they encounter. It became clear how much their work is romanticized as "cultural exchange": 280 euros "pocket money" cannot be considered a fair wage. Added to this are social isolation, overtime, dependence on employers for residency status, as well as a lack of financial security and protection against dismissal. The discussion made it clear how au pairs are part of global care chains[2] are, in which care work becomes a commodity and the exploitation of migrant care workers – especially in the Global North – is structurally embedded.
We discussed the situation of educators in Saxony in the fourth episode familiar with the ver.di-Activist and educator Maria. Against the backdrop of current daycare strikes, cuts in the social sector and a – compared to the rest of Germany – below-average staff-to-child ratio in Saxony[3It became clear what demands educators are making. Despite this, Maria emphasizes how she finds meaning in her work and the role union organizing plays in this. For example, ver.di organizes a local meeting point for educators with the "Stammtisch Sozial- und Erziehungsdienst" (a regular meeting for social and educational service workers) in Leipzig – starting in 2026, it will take place monthly as Network meeting for social and educational services takes place.
Despite differences in content and organization among the various interviewees, one thing unites them above all: their care work is systematically devalued, organizing is challenging, and many struggles remain isolated from one another. Nevertheless, fundamental insights for political debates surrounding care work can be drawn from the diversity of these struggles. On the one hand, despite important achievements, gaps persist that we recognize and want to address together. On the other hand, conflicts emerge regarding what constitutes care work and who is affected by it, and to what extent. Labor struggles outside of daycare centers, hospitals, or schools, in particular, struggle to gain visibility.
At the center of the fifth episode There is an interview with Schotter from Trans*Sexworks.Schotter reports on the support that trans* sex workers give each other: be it on cargo bike tours distributing essential supplies like condoms, tissues, wipes, disinfectant spray, and dextrose; or at regular community evenings and in the struggle for a café for trans* sex workers in Berlin's Frobekiez neighborhood. Schotter explains that the multi-aid group Trans*Sexworks is having difficulty finding its own premises and being considered within feminist movements and trade union contexts. There's a lot of room for improvement!
Regardless of one's own experience or life reality, the second season opens up opportunities to relate to each other, to network and to make care-related labor struggles visible – from trans* sex workers as well as from single parents, caregivers or au pairs who often do not feel addressed by collective bargaining unions.
This season also makes it clear that austerity policies in paid care work have a massive impact on the quality of work as well as on the physical and mental health of colleagues. The increasing fragmentation of labor struggles is a worrying development. Making ideological and labor-law divisions visible and strengthening trans*feminist and anti-racist structures within unions could be key to building stronger feminist alliances.
We view with confidence the militant determination of activists like Maria, Tabea, and Ariane – as well as the resistance they encounter. Strikes and labor struggles are key tools, as are mutual aid and community support. We conclude that we want to support active labor struggles and contribute to the visibility of marginalized perspectives within them – in the hope of a solidarity-based, vocal, diverse, and class-struggle-oriented future. March 8, 2026And beyond.
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Links:
Thanks for Nothing: The feminist podcast on economics and care
Network meeting of social and educational services in Leipzig
- Mutual Aid refers to solidarity-based and participatory associations for the collective improvement of living conditions and the fulfillment of needs. ↩︎
- Global care chains describe migration movements of mostly women who work in care professions in the global north – which in some cases creates gaps in care provision within their families and communities. ↩︎
- See, among others... here. ↩︎
