Happy Birthday Basic Law!

Joint BDA and DGB declaration on 75 years of the Basic Law

Happy Birthday Basic Law!

Berlin, May 22, 2024. 75 years of the Basic Law are an incomparable success story. Its mothers and fathers learned the right lessons from the failure of the Weimar Republic, put human dignity first and laid clear cornerstones for the structure of the state.

With the Basic Law, Germany stands on firm democratic foundations. The BDA and DGB are part of the free and democratic basic order and our defensive democracy. In times when populists and extremists are attacking democracy and attempting to undermine confidence in our political system, we must fly the flag. We are doing this together with great conviction.

Our country has come through challenging crises well in recent years. Constructive exchange and a willingness to reach a consensus have often been the key to success, despite all the necessary disputes. That is why we oppose any polarization that divides rather than unites. We condemn attacks on politicians and elected representatives in the strongest possible terms. Anyone who abandons political discourse and uses violence - of any kind - must be combated with all the means available under the rule of law.

The social partners - employers' associations and trade unions - are part of the Basic Law in a special way. In Article 9 (3), it grants us the right to form associations for the protection and promotion of working and economic conditions. In concrete terms, this is reflected in the diverse collective bargaining and social partnership and the shaping of labor relations in companies. We are aware of our task and will continue to fulfill it responsibly in the future.

We are experiencing at this time that democracy cannot be taken for granted. All democrats must now stand together. That is why we also encourage all companies and businesses as well as works and staff councils to promote democracy and to defend it resolutely where necessary. We support projects such as those of the Business Council for Democracy (BC4D), which aim to strengthen democracy - also through social partnership - and help people to defend themselves against disinformation, hate speech and extremism in their daily lives. Especially on the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law, it is our duty to do everything we can to preserve our democracy.

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