T-Shirt Women Wildcats über Deutschland (Wildcat Strikes 1973)

The August 2023 design was created in memory of a wave of wildcat strikes in West Germany that happened 50 years before in 1973 and in which a total of around 275,000 workers in 335 factories took part. The strikes were mostly organized by migrant workers. These workers had been recruited by Germany’s industry and government in southern Europe and Turkey since the 1950s as cheap labourers to sustain the West German economic boom of the post-war years. That these so-called “guest workers” (in German “Gastarbeiter”) were actually human beings and, what is more, human beings who would not put up with everything forever, became clear in the summer of 1973. Not only did they usually had to work more for less pay but they also often faced racism and other forms of discrimination. Additionally, they were frequently confronted with a lack of support and solidarity from their German colleagues along with the unions representing them. All this triggered a multitude of wildcat strikes in which the “Gastarbeiter” organised themselves and were the leading actors. Two of the larger strikes took place in August 1973 at Ford in Cologne and at the automotive supplier Pierburg in Neuss.

Wildcat strikes are labour disputes that originate directly from the workforce and are carried out without the call or prior approval of the union officials responsible for the workplace. A rebellious cat with a hump has become the established symbol for these kind of strike actions originating from the rank and file of a company. Wildcat strikes are therefore often simply called “wildcats”. Thus, the slogan “Wildcats over Germany” symbolises the wave of wildcats that spread across Germany in 1973. At the same time, it is also an allusion to the stupid nationalist slogan “Deutschland über alles” (literally meaning Germany over everything). In this sense: Wildcat strikes are more important than Germany!

PS: For a further introduction to the topic, we recommend the documentary “Pierburg – Ihr Kampf ist unser Kampf”.

This design was done by Berlin based tattoo artist Brian Kelly.

Attention: Made to order production

You order and we produce the item exclusively for you! Together we avoid overproduction and lessen the impact on the environment. Therefore, the average delivery time is a little longer and takes up to 15-20 working days to Germany and the EU, after receipt of payment. Thanks for your understanding! More info can be found under “Shipping and Delivery”.

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Brand: Stanley & Stella

Material: 100 percent organic cotton

Printing and Finishing: High quality skin and ecofriendly print, direct-to-garment (DTG) or direct-to-film (DTF), depending on design and textile.

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Please note: If, in exceptional cases, your size or colour is not available, we reserve the right to send you an alternative organic textile of equivalent material quality from another Fair Wear Foundation member company.

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Product Safety (GPSR)

This product complies with the requirements of the EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR – Regulation (EU) 2023/988).

Responsible person (EU): Anton Wundrak Mantovanini, dna merch | Solidarische Textilien, Richardstr. 60, 12055 Berlin, E-Mail

For questions regarding product safety, please contact the person named above.