Linkspopulismus und Prekarisierung

Abstract

In recent years a debate about the possibilities of left wing populism in Germany occurred. Based on own empirical findings about how workers deal with different situations of precarious work this contribution argues, that such a populist project is not only possible but necessary. It is a popular diagnosis among scholars of industrial relations, that the precarisation of work is limiting the possibilities for solidarity and collective action among workers. But as empirical data shows also new perceptions of injustice are arising, which could be used as a starting point for union politics. In the following two different frames of interpretation are reconstructed, which workers apply in order to handle their social situation. Although not without contradictions each entails potentials for a progressive left wing populism. In order to engage with these potentials, it is argued, activists of an antagonistic left should start building a political project, whose possible populist elements are outlined in the conclusions.