The German Review

The German Review

The SPD is losing the workers — here’s why

A fragmented working class is reshaping German politics — and leaving the SPD behind.

Jörg Luyken's avatar
Jörg Luyken
Mar 25, 2026
∙ Paid

Dear Reader,

A few years ago, I spent a day in the life of a Syrian man working as a parcel delivery driver in Berlin. He was posting packages for a very wealthy online shopping company that would send me threatening legal letters if I were to mention its name here.

In practice, though, he wasn’t employed by them. Instead, he was working for a company at …

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