What happens when social infrastructure is cut? Who compensates for what is lost? What do feminist and trade union activists need, especially in Saxony, and where are structures currently lacking?
These were the questions we explored during our queer-feminist educational weekend in Torgau. Together, in workshops, a film screening, and a panel discussion, we examined different forms of care work. We talked about paid and unpaid care work, labor struggles and union organizing, migration and precarious employment, bodies and emotions – and how we can build caring relationships and strong feminist alliances (in Saxony).
Because our vision is fundamental: Care should be placed at the center of society and reorganized.
Feminism in motion: Together against cuts and the shift to the right
Care work is systematically devalued by society and often performed under precarious conditions. At the same time, social and public infrastructure such as care, healthcare, and counseling services are increasingly being cut back, institutions are coming under pressure, and employees are being forced to do more and more. This reveals a policy in which the state is increasingly withdrawing from its responsibilities. As a result, many projects in Saxony that have been working for years to promote inclusion and empowerment are losing their funding: For example, the long-established Queer Refugees Network of the Rosa Linde association in Leipzig has had its funding cut. The new draft budget in Dresden also contains massive cuts. These affect a wide variety of projects and areas, including work with children and young people.
We discussed the impact of budget cuts on queer, feminist, and migrant projects and networks in Saxony at our panel discussion with Delal Atmaca, managing director and co-founder of Damigra eV ; Konstanze Morgenroth, equal opportunities officer for the district of Sachsen; Tanchik Kulbakina from RosaLinde Leipzig ; Elisabeth Koch, active in the alliance against budget cuts ; and Claudia Kurzweg from Torgau. They also debated strategies for addressing the current challenges and shared what gives them the strength to continue fighting for a more inclusive society.
Different perspectives – shared struggles
The workshop “ Migration, Precariousness & Care Work” with Vân focused, among other things, on the situation of Vietnamese contract workers in East Germany. It became clear how closely working conditions, physical constraints, and welfare structures were intertwined. At the same time, it became evident that the workers were by no means merely passive victims of their migration history, but rather created spaces and opportunities for action. An important element of resistance was the networking within the dormitories. These became places of encounter, exchange, and community.
In the workshop "New Perspectives on Equality Work" with Fatma and Karin from the Gender Competence Center , the question of feminist infrastructure in Saxony was raised. We used mapping to make queer-feminist actors visible, thereby also highlighting gaps. It became clear that feminist initiatives need to become more independent of state funding and structures, without losing sight of the importance of public responsibility. Trade unions can be important allies in this regard. Likewise, stronger networking between paid staff and volunteers in equality work is needed, as well as the utilization of existing umbrella organizations and shared structures.
Community radio was also considered a political space. The workshop "Your Voice Counts" with Sinah from Radio Blau explored how community radio stations can create spaces for democracy and social diversity. For marginalized groups, such spaces can provide opportunities to bring their own issues into the public sphere and to determine how these issues are discussed.
The documentary "48 Gün (48 Days)" took us to meet the migrant women who went on strike at Charité Facility Management (CFM) in Berlin. The film and the subsequent discussion with producer Betül Yılmaz vividly demonstrated how union organizing in the care sector can become a tool for greater dignity, recognition, and better pay.
Under the title "Cutting Daycare Centers to Death," Laura, a childcare worker, staff representative, and ver.di union activist, spoke about her daily work and union struggles. She highlighted the crucial role of labor disputes in the care sector: those fighting for better working conditions, higher wages, and more staff are not just fighting for the employees themselves. It's always about the quality of care and, consequently, the question of what value we, as a society, place on care work.
Paid and unpaid care work remains unequally distributed globally and within societies. At the same time, there are numerous resistances, struggles, and visions for a fairer economy and more solidarity-based living environments – as Kleo demonstrated in the workshop "Visions of Solidarity-Based Care Work ." We learned how individuals and collectives are already fighting for more solidarity-based forms of care work, what approaches they are pursuing, and what care utopias they are developing. During a shared guided visualization exercise, we created our own solidarity-based utopias.
In the workshop “Hey Sib, how are we doing?” with Senja and Shiva, we embarked on a somatic exploration of care in relationships. Using our whole bodies, we perceived and expressed emotions such as anger, fear, grief, love, and gratitude. We learned about the interconnectedness of care with power structures and discrimination: different societal vulnerabilities manifest in everyday life, in bodies, and in relationships. Friendships can be spaces where we share, process, and collectively bear these experiences. Especially in a time when neoliberal logics of utility, performance, and growth increasingly shape all areas of life, and when AI is giving rise to new notions of efficiency and optimization, we need spaces where we can feel ourselves and simply be. Friendship can thus be a political practice of care and resilience.
In another workshop, we focused on organizational and community organizing. Tashy from the Center for Transformative Organizing explained that it's not about grand, abstract strategies, but rather about the many small steps from which organizing emerges. And the question: "Which people do we need to motivate to make things happen?" A key insight: Organizing is very much about emotions. If we only talk abstractly about political demands, we can create distance. But through shared experiences and emotions, we can connect.
Eva from the House of Change offered another perspective . Her workshop focused on security aspects of left-wing projects in rural areas and how political actors there can remain effective. Similar to the organizing workshop, an important approach was to examine key individuals: Who has influence locally? Who enjoys trust, and who can make their positions visible and contribute to political debates?
Our educational weekend brought together diverse perspectives on care work, labor struggles, and alliances. It became clear how multifaceted care work is and how similar the experiences of devaluation, overwork, and lack of funding are across very different sectors.
At the same time, we experienced many moments of solidarity and resistance this weekend. We discussed strategies against budget cuts and the rise of the right wing, and talked about how feminist networks can become stronger and more sustainable. Alongside these discussions, we connected through cooking and eating together, walks, and crafting. We strengthened each other and forged alliances to remain feminist activists in the long term and to stand together for a society in which care work is not exploited but supported through solidarity.