Month: May 2015

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Turmoil in Bucharest’s National University of Theatre and Film: A step-by-step narrative of the events

UNATC – short for the National University of Theatre and Film “I. L. Caragiale” – is a state university in Bucharest. Its two halves are the Film Faculty and the Theatre Faculty – the two biggest Romanian schools preparing professionals in film-related and theatre-related fields (including theory and historical research). What became known to Romanian public opinion, during the months of March, April and May 2015, as “the UNATC scandal”, started to sizzle between the walls of the University much earlier than that – at the beginning of summer 2014, just before the summer holidays – with Sorin Botoșeneanu, at that time the Dean of the Film Faculty, being subjected to ever more intense hassle by the Rector of the University, Adrian Titieni.

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On the Importance of a Strong Work Ethic: Etho-politics in Serbia

During a recent visit to Slovenia, Serbia’s Prime Minister Vucic made a statement on a theme that has come to figure prominently in many of his public speeches and press statements – that of the importance of a strong work ethic. Speaking of his government’s economic reforms and foreign policy measures, Vucic poignantly argued for the respect and nobleness of hard work. “When faced with an easy and hard path, most countries and people always take the easy path, but those that take the hard path will always be more respected,” he stated.

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Call For Solidarity With Macedonia’s Protesters

Note from the LeftEast editors: this text coming from citizens, activists and academics concerned by the recent developments in Macedonia, is an attempt to draw attention to the events in the country. It is also a plea for your solidarity with the citizens who are seeking justice and freedom. If you would like your name or that of your organisation to be added to the list of supporters, please write to lefteasteditors@gmail.com, with the following as the subject line: SOLIDARITY WITH MACEDONIA’S PROTESTERS

On Tuesday night (05.05.2015) thousands of citizens of Macedonia protested outside of the government headquarters calling for resignation of the Prime Minister Gruevski and his cabinet.

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International Workers’ Day: Jasmina Husanovic

Jasmina Husanović is Associate Professor of Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.  She received her PhD from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK in 2003. Her research experience is in the field of cultural studies, political philosophy and feminist theory and her recent publications are concerned with critical pedagogies, witnessing and cultural production, focusing on the emancipatory potentials in the triangle art – theory – activism.  She is an activist for more than two decades, and is currently engaged in various local, regional and international initiatives aiming at the politics of equality.

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International Workers’ Day: resounding struggles from Greece to Russia

“For more than twenty years have the wage workers of this country begged and prayed their masters, the factory lords, to reduce their burdens. It has been in vain.” – this proclamation could easily have come from a 1st of May rally in 2015, as it remains equally relevant today. But it dates back to the 4th of May, 1886, when August Spies, one of the key protagonists of the Haymarket affair in Chicago incited the rally in support of workers striking for an eight-hour-day, which spiraled into a mass protest and inspired the International Workers’ movement.

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International Workers’ Day: Ivan Ovsiannikov

МПРА - Межрегиональный профсоюз "Рабочая ассоциация"

Ivan Ovsiannikov is a member of the St. Petersburg Interregional Union: “Workers Association”

“As far as anti-workers laws are concerned, the main one is the de facto ban on striking in labor law. In practice, it is impossible to conduct strikes because of the bureaucratic procedure involved. Or rather, to strike, one must work outside of the law, risking firing and discrimination, all in the context of a corrupt legal system. There are such strikes, but they are usually very spontaneous and don’t enter into official statistics.”

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International Workers’ Day: Marko Grdesic

Protests in Sisak, Croatia. 1st of May, 2015

Marko Grdesic is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin Madison.  He is currently an affiliate of the Center for Ethnicity, Citizenship and Migration at the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Zagreb. He researches social movements and political sociology focusing on populism as a set of interactions.

“The fact that unions have not become a factor in the new private sector has lead many to denounce them as protectors of those that are better off anyway, while those in truly precarious economic positions are left without protection.”

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International Workers’ Day: Zdravko Saveski

Skopje, 1st of May, 2015

Zdravko Saveski is a member of the leftist movement ‘Solidarnost’, and Secretary of the multi-ethnic Union for Education.

 “Since 2009, the leftist movements Solidarnost and Lenka organise protests on the 1st of May, and as of last year co-organisers are also several independent Unions. As a result, the commemoration of the 1st May, has ceased to be a date only marked by an insignificant number of marginal leftists, but has become an occasion for demonstrating workers’ revolt against the incessant violation of workers’ rights, and an increasing numbers of workers take part in the protests.”

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International Workers’ Day: Sylvia Koilakou

Sylvia Koilakou works as a civil engineer in a technical enterprise. She is active in the union of technical employees and is a member of the Board of the Labor Center of Athens. She is a member of the anti-capitalist coalition ANTARSYA, on whose ticket she stood as a parliamentary candidate in the recent elections:

“The SYRIZA-ANEL government is oriented towards a deal with the country’s borrowers, having accepted the obligation of paying the debt as well as the inviolable terms that the EU and the Euro-Zone have imposed.

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International Workers’ Day: Christos Tsadaris

Christos Tsadaris has recently concluded his studies as a physicist, and is currently unemployed, searching for a job. He has been active in social movements of the youth in Greece and is a member of ATTACK, a youth collective against modern slavery, flexibility in work and unemployment. He is a member of the anti-capitalist coalition ANTARSYA.

“Regarding labour rights and specifically the collective contract agreements in Greece, the numbers are really shocking. In 2008 there were 161 sectoral and inter-professional collective agreement contracts, which could cover almost all workers in the private sector.