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UNIONS AND AUTHORITARIANISM

UNIONS AND AUTHORITARIANISM. Reflections on the emergence of democratic unions from authoritarian regimes Prof. Krastyo Petkov – Bulgaria International Summer School-Northern College, Manchester, July, 2012. Why discuss this issue?.

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UNIONS AND AUTHORITARIANISM

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  1. UNIONS AND AUTHORITARIANISM Reflections on the emergence of democratic unions from authoritarian regimes Prof. Krastyo Petkov – Bulgaria International Summer School-Northern College, Manchester, July, 2012

  2. Why discuss this issue? • Not exceptional cases, but growing trend in CEE /15 countries belong to the category “Authoritarian regimes- AR/”; • Ongoing crisis creates conditions for spread of AR in other regions; • Mantra “ Strong power creates better economies” • AR are efficient in combating TU’s;

  3. Reflections, based on: • Personal experience /Bulgaria after 1989/; • Field work-Action Research Projects /Hungary, Georgia, Serbia/; • Local analyst contributions /Romania, Albania/; • Special missions /Tunisia, 2011/; -------------- • Supportive/partner organizations: ILO, FES; NDI;ETUI;

  4. Why new authoritarianism? New-after 89: -post-totalitarian /comparative features-see next slide/; Born by: -ethnic/nationalistic developments; -economic crisis: mass disappointment/anger; -pressure from the oligarchic circles , etc. -self-maid/charismatic personality; Supported by: global neoliberal networks; • Important: usually - mixture of reasons

  5. Totalitarian-Authoritarian Dimensions

  6. Four cases-four authoritarian personalities • Hungary: personal-party dictatorship /Orban-”Victator”/; • Bulgaria:one man management /B.B./; • Georgia: extreme neoliberal state /police controlled society /Saakashvili/; • Tunisia: special case-dictatorship/nepotism Ben Ali/; ----------- Important trend: growing authoritarianism in CEE during and after transition; in most cases the new AR came after free elections;

  7. Common features • Coercive power; • Oligarchic society; • Corrupted regimes; • Anti- trade union policies; • No clear ideology: pragmatic/nationalistic/populism; • Strong promoters of extreme neo-liberalism; • Lack of free media; Important facts: -the first tree-EPP/right wing political leaders; suported by the USA; - Ben Ali: Socialist International member!?/

  8. Comparative features: Hungarian and Bulgarian Authoritarian Regimes

  9. Existing and emerging unions:four types • New/oppositional and old/reformed TU’s / in the beginning – Bulgaria, Hungary, Tunisia/; • Totally new/alternative TU’s: difficult/impossible option /Georgia/; • Union-like networks: self- employed and informal workers/enterpreneurs; • Social /protest movements /”syndicalism- without syndicates”/

  10. Challenges to the existing unions: focus on CEE countries • Back to social movement model / incorporating protest networks; increased militancy and broader civil dialog/; • Strategic alliances with the protest movements /Occupy and others/; civil type and community based trade unionism; • New politisationand actions from bellow / in 1989- due to the change of system; now- new goal: “Change The System”/;

  11. Challenges-2 • The first strategy is difficult /perestroika from inside-FNV case/; • The second option happens-Tunisia, Italy, Spain etc; • The third development brings back the old TU dilemma: be politically independent or “Get involved”! Not many success stories-especially in CEE; Emerging prototype-Syrisa; Brazil: special case-prototype;

  12. Dangers of not responding properly • Lack of identity/TU’s are more and more seen as part of the System!/ • Marginalization/alienation/ Macedonian case with protest groups/; • Power dependence /the case of Hu/; • Personal/paternalistic dependence / Azerbaidzan coming up in BG, / > As a result: shrinking/symbolic membership

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