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LeftEast Editors’ Note: These are days of heightened possibility for another war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, or more accurately, the latter attacking the former to capitalize on its victory in the 2020 war. There are reports of military build-ups along the border and some frantic diplomatic efforts. Zhanna Ohanesian’s article, originally published in the Ukrainian leftist […]
Note from LeftEast editors: In this mini-series we reprint two essays first published in Alameda Institute’s Dossier, The War in Ukraine and the Question of Internationalism. We provide the table of contents for reference and further reading. In 2006, in his book The Development of Capitalism in Russia, the late sociologist Simon Clarke wrote that, “a […]
Episode 3. Organising collective responses among temporary agency non-local workers in Hungary: Conversation with Tibor T. Meszmann Host: Olena Fedyuk Drawing on his experience as a researcher, an activist and a trade unionist, Tibor talks about the role trade unions (could) play in organizing migrant and temporary work agency workers. With Hungary being both migrant-sending […]
Episode 2. Field notes and reflections from the workers’ dormitory in Czechia: Conversation with Hannah Schling Host: Olena Fedyuk As a part of her work on social reproduction of migrant workers in the Czech FDI-driven electronics industry, Hannah spent 3 months living in a workers’ dormitory. Hannah discusses how life in the dormitory is linked […]
An Eighth Woman: Podcast Series · An 8th Woman – Introduction Inspired by the 1970s classics by J Berger and J. Mohr “A Seventh Man” this podcast series strings together conversations on issues related to subcontracted and mediated employment of migrant workers in CEE. We talk about the relations, infrastructures and everyday lives embroiled in […]
Tens of thousands of workers are currently employed in factories in the Baia Mare area. Most factories are greenfield projects, while old industrial sites in Baia Mare have been abandoned. Most employees working in furniture, mattresses, clothing and footwear producing factories receive a minimum wage for full-time work. The young and “disciplined” employees manage to supplement their minimum wage by working overtime or doing additional shifts, depending on the employer’s needs. Some resort to seasonal work abroad in order to ensure their families’ survival. The factories in question are a precarious link within the capitalist circuit, operating as outsourced factories for large Western companies – the largest by production volume and number of employees being Ikea. The experience of managers and workers in these factories shows how factories and employees alike are in an extremely vulnerable and volatile position. Their bargaining power is minimal, while constant concessions are essential for survival.
We repost this video and its original introductory text with the permission of the organizers. On May 10, Internationalism from Below teamed up with Haymarket Books, the Ukrainian leftist journal Спільне / Commons and New Politics magazine in convening How Can Feminist Solidarity Help Ukraine? — a discussion with Yuliya Yurchenko, Oksana Dutchak, Sasha Talaver, […]
I have been writing and re-writing this short reflection for seven weeks. Weeks spent aiding relatives and friends in fleeing Ukraine and directing solidarity funds to the Ukrainian resistance and mutual aid organizing. Having walked the streets of Mariupol almost every summer since I was a child, and for the last time in the summer […]
Note of LeftEast editors: Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the war continues to have devastating effects on women. In the conditions of war, the processes of life-making are extremely precarious as cities are shelled, encircled, and public infrastructure like hospitals and schools continues to be under attack. In cities like Mariupol majority […]
It has been two years already since we started living in a deadly pandemic. Тwo years since the labor we do has been claimed essential while our lives remain disposable. […]
The question is how to transform our struggles into a collective transnational power, nurture political communication and create conditions for a common social strike. Inspired by the ongoing struggles, we declare our plan for a feminist reconstruction for 8M and beyond! 8M is an important moment to join forces transnationally on the following terrains of struggle