Eastern Europe
Interview with an electronics worker in Romania, 2005
Summary of a chat with a young guy who works for Solectron electronics in Timisoara, Romania, Summer 2004
About the international free trade zones in Romania
There used to be six free trade zones in Romania, where foreign investors were supposed to invest in low tax paradises. Today only one zone remains
http://freezone.arad.ro.
About Solectron
Halemba mine tragedy: the high costs of greed and outsourcing
No worker should not have gone into the mine that day. But Halemba sent in some unqualified contractors. Laure Akai reports.
Previous libcom.org coverage here.
Poland postal strike: new developments
An update on the postal workers strike in Poland. As it has spread bosses have offered a pay increase, but way below workers' demands.
As of now, mail carriers in many cities have joined the strike, but not all of them. Most post offices are working and accepting mail, even if they are not delivering. The exceptions are in Warsaw in the Praga District where the 2nd PO in the city was shut down and in Szczecin where 23 POs have closed during the strike.
Student protests in Italy and Slovakia, 2005
Two short articles about school and university student demonstrations, March 2005.
Slovakia: Fourth student protest this year
First strike for thirteen years at Skoda, Czech Republic, 2005
30 March: Some 12,000 of the 21,000 employees at Skoda walked off the job for an hour on the 30th of March, putting the company 240 cars under its daily quota of about 2,000.
Polish miners killed, trapped in massive blast
8 miners have been killed and 15 more remain trapped following an explosion in a deep coal mine yesterday in Ruda Slaska, Southern Poland. Reports suggest the miners were knowingly put at risk to recover company property.
Update 23/11/06: The death toll has now risen to 23, with no survivors.
Poland: Postal workers strike
Mail carriers across Poland are strike for better pay and working conditions. Polish anarchists report on the stoppage and actions they have taken to support it.
On Nov. 13, a wildcat strike of mail carriers started in the Gdansk post office. Now the strike has been taken over by different unions, mostly Solidarity, and has spread to most major cities in Poland.
The mail carriers' demands include:
- an 8 hour work day for all workers of the Polish Post (most mail carriers work 10-12 hours daily)
Update: European car-industry, 2005
Various short articles on different developments within the European car industry in early 2005.
Tram drivers' strike in Prague, 2003
The history of a short strike of Czech tram drivers, with a detailed account from the picket lines. The strike had the first picket line violence between police and strikers since 1989, and was defeated, but still has some important lessons.
Strike at Skoda auto, Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, 2005
Account of a small but significant strike at a Skoda (owned by Volkswagen) factory in the Czech Republic.
