Deindustrijalizacija i radnički otpor - Pokret za slobodu

An-Privazaon Protests in SerbiaInterview with Milenko Sreckovic for ZNET, prepared bythe Global Balkans NetworkSeptember 7, 2009The Global Balkans collective interviews Milenko Sreckovicof the Freedom Fight movement in Serbia, and a Secretary ofthe Coordinating Committee for Workers Protests in Serbia,about the current situation in the country.The IMF recently concluded a one-week mission to Serbia, duringwhich it extended the second-tranche of a EUR 4.3-billion loan packageto Serbia. However, it gave the government until late October toreign in public sector spending as a condition for disbursing the thirdtrancheof the agreement (worth EUR 1.4-billion) by the end of theyear.The tough negotiations come at a time when the incumbent governmentof Serbia is facing a 4% contraction in its economy and a determinedworkers movement that refuses to bear the burden of economicrestructuring after years of corruption that has bound together key Serbianbusiness and political interests in the squandering of public funds.2009 is also the self-imposed deadline set by the government for completingthe sell-off of all 'socially owned' (i.e. formerly self-managed)companies in Serbia.There are currently over 30 strike actions throughout the country,many of which have taken-on radical forms in recent months, including:factory occupations, railway blockades, city-hall and police stationtakeovers, sleep-ins, boss-nappings, hunger strikes, even a case of selfmutilation.In these actions workers are often seeking to prevent shadyprivatization deals from occurring, or trying to save their jobs and enterprisesfrom bankruptcy (following such privatizations). The mainconcern of most workers in these actions is to ensure the continuedpayment of salaries, compensation, etc. upon which their survival andthose of their communities depends. Many of these strikes have beenorganized at the factory level, with little input from the mainstreamunions in Serbia.In recent days a number of Strike Committees have come togetherto form a Coordinating Committee for Workers Protests in Serbia(CCWPS). Currently five Strike Committees have joined the CC rep-341