We also talk to a younger worker who at first states that he is not striking since the working conditions are excellent, but adds after a few minutes that he is \u201cafraid for his position\u201d and that Fiat workers in Kragujevac are most bothered by the fact that their colleagues in Italy are paid multifold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Workers\u2019 position is a political issue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What differentiates this strike from the other recent ones (Go\u0161a<\/a>, Fori<\/a>) are more combative demands and high level of politicization among a part of union officials and younger workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not having the state on our side is what worries me. The resolve of young people to change that is good \u2013 Jugoslav Risti\u0107 states.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Risti\u0107 emphasizes that the change came from below. A few months ago workers in an associated company, factory Magneti Marelli, went on strike with the goal of salaries being equalized with workers\u2019 salaries at Fiat, which were around 300 euro, after taxes. As production was completely stopped, the company\u2019s management attempted to obstruct the strike by bringing office administrators onto the factory floor, but the resistance to pressure made the management fulfill this demand after only five days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The newly elected union president at Magneti Marelli, Aleksandar Kora\u0107, describes the conditions in the factory:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Work is performed in inhumane conditions, in 40 degrees Celsius, with no air conditioning, people went on long sick leaves, they had been injured and then 5% are not present so the next person has to do the additional task. You give yourself, your body, for the company\u2019s profit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Risti\u0107 deems that the victory at Marelli was the initial push which motivated the Fiat workers to articulate the dissatisfaction with low salaries and extremely hard working conditions into resistance. He believes that the workers\u2019 position is a political issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think that politics should be connected to what is going on here. People should understand that all of this is politics. That they live like they do because they have the government which wants it this way. Because it wants to attract foreign investors, that\u2019s why it offers cheap labor. But, most of the people do not recognize this, and when union issues are being discussed, they do not want to talk about politics, not understanding that these issues are fully related.\u201d Although there is still fear of \u201cpolitics getting involved\u201d, which is mostly associated with the existing parliamentarian parties, politicization of youths and combative union members is reflected in the recognition of the need for systemic solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Zoran Markovi\u0107, the Fiat strike committee\u2019s president, strongly disagrees with the claim of the workers\u2019 resistance from below, emphasizing that the union is an interest group which should not delve into politics, and that the investors should not be turned away. He deems that the unions\u2019 dedication plays a key role in the ongoing strike and does not want to give away potential strategies for the strike\u2019s radicalization, for understandable reasons, if the company\u2019s owners keep ignoring it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, Kora\u0107 insists that true cooperation is necessary between workers and their representatives to affect change \u2013 the strike at Magneti Marelli succeeded only after the uninterested union representative resigned and Kora\u0107 took on his position. The initiative from below and better participation from younger workers is necessary for building more democratic union structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am active in the union primarily to win my own salary, since I am also one of the workers in production. But, if I win for all of them I also win for myself, Kora\u0107 explains.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The statement from the worker mentioned previously who says that he does not want to participate in strike also shows solidarity among workers and the initiative to abolish inhumane working conditions and employer\u2019s arbitrariness. When we ask him whether the unions pressure workers to persevere in defending their rights despite fear, blackmails and insecurity, he answers that the unions are not the ones that exert pressure, but that it is impossible to stay aside if \u201cfive of your colleagues are on strike\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We will not pretend that enthusiasm and combativeness which we encounter in Kragujevac does not leave a strong impression. The Fiat strike, if the associated factories join as well, has the potential to become a turning point in the further struggle for dignified life of those who live off their labor. Production stoppage at Fiat effects the associated companies which work below capacity currently, which means that the workers receive 60% of their salaries while the strike is ongoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, the strike at Fiat could become a turning point for many reasons. Workers\u2019 longer resistance and potential victory would inspire workers across Serbia to fight for better position in their companies. The level of political consciousness would also be raised: worsening of the workers\u2019 standard and workers\u2019 rights in the context of attracting foreign investments would have to mean reassessment of the framework of such economic policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fiat, which has been a strategic partner of both current and previous government, and its business clearly show the failure of the idea that the economy can be jumpstarted through foreign direct investments<\/a>: numerous privileges and limitless amounts of budget money for a company which needs to set aside only 0.5% of its profit to meet the strike\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The role of younger generations of workers is important for such an outcome since they can carry out the whole potential of the seemingly harmless and self-explanatory strike parole that the workers refuse to be cheap labor. These are the generations which must win again the eight-hour workday and respect for workers\u2019 rights, and in order to do this they must connect violations of the Labor Law with the politics of foreign investments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We see the resolve of these people, I think there can be no turning back, that they will not accept it, because all are saying let be what must be, however long it lasts, Risti\u0107 concludes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Translation from Serbian: Nenad Porobi\u0107<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.masina.rs\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/kapija.jpg\")
<\/a>Strike\u2019s potential<\/h2>\n\n\n\n