The Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence makes provisions that could be considered progressive. While the public reception of this law was shaped by the right-wing misogynist narrative, its implementation is made questionable by the foreseen evaluation and assessment methods, as well as the systematic socio-economic inequality of women.
Evictions are an increasing threat to indebted citizens of Serbia. Thus they are marking the final phase of the transformation strategy which led to the privatization of Serbian housing fund.
Draft Law on Dual Education faces criticism of professionals, trade unions and leftist organizations. This proposed regulation would in effect legalise child labour, make it extremely difficult for students of vocational schools to enroll in higher education institutions, cause additional deterioration of labour rights and generally worsen the position of workers in the labour market. Instead of being provided with quality education, students will be trained for the role of cheap and obedient labour force.
The eligibility criteria for the public farm lease tender demonstrate a sincere desire of the government to please profit making interest of the large companies. Small independent farmers find it increasingly difficult to survive under the pressure put on by their competitors, which leads to further deterioration of the living conditions in the countryside.
Adoption of the unfavorable law on agency employment and its future regulation will only worsen the already poor labor relations.
Internships, traineeships and other programmes for acquiring work experience are increasingly becoming a precondition to getting a labour contract. Even though interns are performing roles of workers, in most cases they are not paid for them nor is their employment guaranteed after the programme has ended.
Katja Kipping, co-chair of the German party The Left (Die Linke), recently visited Belgrade to get informed about local political circumstances and prepare for German parliamentarian elections in September. The Left’s delegation focused on visiting spaces and organizations that logistically and infrastructurally serve the refugees of whom a large number is attempting to reach Germany. … Read more
Changes and additions to the Law on Public Utilities implemented early this year are leading to increased prices and decreased quality of services. Additionally, both local and international examples show that what follows is layoffs of workers in this sector, as well as harder access for the poorest to important services such as water supply … Read more
If TTIP were to be introduced, its consequences would be felt by the citizens of Serbia, as well as other countries who would not be direct signatories to the agreement. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a free trade agreement that will soon be signed between the United States and the European Union. … Read more
The devastating crisis, globalized in 2008, shook the ruins of the left’s tradition. Its chipped elements start to configure into new wholes. This would not be possible without the numerous communities, social movements and individuals who did not stop to dream the real utopia of solidarity, freedom and equality, and acted with the aim to … Read more
A group of people armed with knives has attacked Stanislav Sergienko, activist of “Social Movement” and student of Kyiv-Mohyla academy on the 20th of April in Kyiv. Stanislav has been stabbed multiple times and is currently being treated in the hospital. There are strong reasons to conclude that ultra-rightists committed this crime. On April 20, … Read more
Dario Azzelini is a theoretician and political activist splitting time between Berlin and Caracas. He recently stayed in Belgrade to participate in the conference “Let’s bring socialism back into the game“. That gave us an opportunity to talk about different topics he addresses in his work – ranging from the question of Maduro’s election loss, … Read more
The video “Working for GEOX in the XXI century — the Serbian case” brings testimonies of workers about their experience working for the company and its consequences. On the working conditions in the GEOX factory in Vranje you can read our article here, and the report conducted by the campaign “Abiti Puliti” and the initiative … Read more
“Abiti Puliti” campaign and the “Change your shoes” initiative published a report based on research of production strategies of three world-renowned shoemaking brands: Tod’s, Geox and Prada. The report titled “The True Cost of Our Shoes” presents a detailed insight into functionality of production and distribution chains of luxurious brands, at whose one end is an expensive … Read more
The outcome of the presidential elections in Serbia sparked protests throughout the country. What started as a demonstration of dissatisfaction with electoral results, is now showing signs of improved political articulation. On April 2nd Aleksandar Vučić won the presidential elections in Serbia. There was no widespread optimism about prospects of the opposing candidates, but the 55% … Read more
Will the upcoming presidential election in Serbia offer an alternative? At the beginning of the campaigns a moth ago opposition candidates were framing their proposals within the discourse of lesser evil – which amounts to covering the lack of actual alternatives. But a month after this article was published in Serbian a new candidate appeared … Read more
Joachim Becker, professor of Economics and Business at Vienna University and deputy head of the Institute for International Economics and Development, was a guest of the conference Social Justice: New Perspectives, New Horizons in Belgrade. Becker’s research interests include development economics, theory of the state, regional integration and disintegration, Mercosur, Turkey, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. … Read more
When questioned about the things going on in the production halls of the Serbian factories owned by foreign companies, Serbian politicians arrogantly reply by singing praises to the economic “triumphs” arising out of fat state subsidies. However, the experiences of workers employed at factories such as Geox in Vranje reveal to us the real price … Read more
“Online platforms like Learnship promise flexibility and quick cash. But the reality is often one of precarity and exploitation and, when crises do occur, teachers’ livelihoods are the first to be sacrificed. But we’re not going to let Learnship get away with it. The teachers are determined to get what’s owed to them and the … Read more
