Eastern Germans Rally for More Protests

Trade unions in eastern Germany are set to continue protests against labor market reforms despite government concessions to demonstrators' demands. The IG Metall trade union and regional branches of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) in the states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia said they supported or would take part in more protests in eastern German cities. Although the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) announced it would not stage central demonstrations, local and regional DGB groups are free to decide for themselves whether to support protests, a spokesman for federation head Michael Sommer said Friday. Sommer said in an interview with the Berliner Zeitung newspaper that he feared "political Pied Pipers" could take advantage of people's displeasure with the reforms. A DGB spokesman warned that right-wing extremists had called for protests and that political parties could manipulate people's fears in anticipation of regional elections.