
Issue No 73		13 October 2000

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International

Serbian Workers and Their Unions Fight for Freedom

By AFL-CIO

Serbian workers and their unions have been at the forefront of the struggle for democracy in Yugoslavia as they led a general strike in response to attempts by President Slobodan Milosevic to nullify the defeat he faced in the Sept. 24 election.

Coal miners, bus drivers, factory workers, public employees, journalists, teachers, writers, music composers, actors and others joined the strike and took to the streets with their fellow citizens.

Despite widespread election fraud and voter intimidation, Serbians voted overwhelmingly against President Milosevic, who has ruled the troubled nation with an iron hand for more than a decade and is connected to horrific violence and campaigns of ethnic cleansing throughout the region. Opposition candidate Vojislav Kostunica won the election for the presidency of Yugoslavia.

Shocked at the repudiation of his dictatorial rule, the Milosevic regime tried to ignore election results and steal the electoral victory they could not win at the polls despite blatant tampering. The Milosevic-controlled Supreme Court annulled the presidential election results, and the Serbian people responded with civil disobedience to defend their victory.

In this volatile and dangerous environment, the independent Serbian trade union confederation Nezavisnost and its members are playing an integral role in the struggle for democracy in Serbia. Working closely with the AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), Nezavisnost has established a network that extends from the national level to the worksite, providing its pro-democracy partners with tools for effective public communication and mobilization and keeping the public informed despite government censorship and media blackouts. In coalition with other democratic organizations, Nezavisnost has begun to lay the foundation for democracy, helping citizens see that they are capable of building a society in which they have a voice. In 1995, the AFL-CIO recognized the courage of Nezavisnost's President Branislav Canak with the George Meany Human Rights Award.

Throughout Serbia, Nezavisnost members joined in peaceful, nonviolent activities to pressure the Milosevic regime to accept the true election results, including strikes in the critical manufacturing city of Uzice, which was reported to have been almost completely shut down, and in Cacak. Nezavisnost members have taken the lead in shutting down a munitions plant and a mining smelting complex, and are among those shutting down the bus transport system. As of October 5, it appears that this popular response had driven Milosevic from power.

Prior to the elections, Nezavisnost members, working in coalition with other organizations, conducted door-to-door canvassing and participated in leafleting, rock concerts and demonstrations. Nezavisnost leaders conducted paid get-out-the-vote broadcasts, most of which included audience call-ins, on 13 radio stations and 16 television stations, and appeared in other broadcasts as well. Nezavisnost and its allies held 250 campaign meetings in the weeks leading up to the election. In the days leading up to the election, Nezavisnost and its allies printed and distributed 289,000 get-out-the-vote leaflets and brochures and supplied 131,000 get-out-the-vote informational inserts in newspapers in 12 cities. On the last day of campaigning, Nezavisnost President Canak personally covered more than 500 miles by car, speaking at numerous campaign events.

On Election Day, the union federation provided more than 1,000 trained election monitors to the independent monitoring commission and another 400 monitors to the democratic opposition's monitoring effort. The Nezavisnost monitors played a critical role in confirming that the Yugoslav Federal Election Commission falsified vote totals.

The union's determination to support democracy in Serbia and peace in the Balkans has exacted a heavy price, as the government's intensified intimidation measures--including illegal searches, arrests, interrogations and beatings--have taken aim at Nezavisnost activists as well as other democracy advocates. Despite these obstacles, Nezavisnost and its union activists remain committed to the cause of democracy. It appears at this time that their efforts are succeeding.

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Issue 73 contents

Interview: Righting The Wrongs
Improving the lives of Aboriginal people can't be taken out of the context of the economy, welfare and other areas says Bob McMullan, Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Economics: At The Mercy Of Gamblers
The plunge of the Australian dollar relative to the greenback has consequences for Aussie workers according to Frank Stillwell.

History: Labour History Under Seige Again
The Friends of the Noel Butlin Archives Centre have recently been informed of proposed changes to the Noel Butlin Archives Centre (NBAC), changes that will cut staff by more than 50% and leave the Archives mothballed in the tunnel where the repository is situated.

Workplace: Fighting The Flexible Firm
We are told that hardship and exploitation at work is dying out, and the new economy offers opportunity, freedom and job satisfaction for all. Richard Sennett unveils the true nature of the flexible workplace.

Safety: Being bossed around is bad for your health
A survey of more than 3,000 Australian workers has revealed that some 54% of workers experience intimidating behaviour in their workplace. In almost 85% of cases it is employers, managers and supervisors who are identified as the culprits.

Unions: Discrimination
New to the union and the maritime industry and with only a few days casual work to live off, Stephen Rolls courageously spoke up against individual contracts during a job interview with Burnie Port Corp.

International: Serbian Workers and Their Unions Fight for Freedom
Serbian workers and their unions have been at the forefront of the struggle for democracy in Yugoslavia as they led a general strike in response to attempts by President Slobodan Milosevic to nullify the defeat he faced in the Sept. 24 election.

Satire: A few more years of civilised brutality will advantage Aborigines: Ruddock
CANBERRA, Tuesday: The Minister for Reconciliation Philip Ruddock has defended his comments to French newspaper Le Monde claiming that Aborigines were disadvantaged because they were late in coming into contact with developed civilisations.

Review: Poetry For Workers By Workers
Poems about the trials and tribulations of a waitress and what you learn in a chocolate factory are among the gems from the 925 anthology.

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