Differenze nella posizione dei lavoratori tra il sistema di autogestione jugoslavo e gli attuali sistemi capitalistici nelle ex repubbliche jugoslave

Yugoslavia had a unique system and applied self-management principles and after the break up its six republics transition to different varieties of capitalism. Although system managed by workers had its problems and crushed at the beginning of the 90s, it was built on the ideas about giving more rights, power, independence, and motivation to the workers. More than 20 years after the Yugoslav wars, the entire region is still in a bad economic situation. Many workers and young people are emigrating in the search for a better work opportunity. Research about the current labor market and working conditions are rare although the brain drain and emigration are affecting the economy more and more. As Yugoslavia had a unique system and recently the interest for Marx's ideas has been on a rise again, this region represents a potential base for comparing certain characteristics of the systems that existed then with the today's neoliberal ideas. This work firstly explained Yugoslav self-management system and its specificities according to the available international and regional sources and then introduced the research about the situation that happened after 1991. After the breakup of Yugoslavia, six republics slowly changed their regulations over the years towards more flexibility in setting wages, the flexibility of hiring and firing, and redundancy costs. Unemployment in most of these countries is higher than Yugoslav average rate was and inequality is higher. Informal employment is a big problem and the employment rate for low skilled 15-64 is very low. Position of female workers is improving but very slowly. Living standard of workers and retired people is very bad and in Bosnia the wages of four workers with minimum wage are not enough for paying the minimum monthly expenses for one household. Daily press dealing with workers' problems and internal newspapers in the companies was once very important part of work life and this practice is today almost extinct. Trade union density and collective bargaining decreased over the years and workers' influence is much lover then it was in self-management. According to the online survey many employees work between 40 and 60 hours a week and are not paid for that overtime work. The situation for workers is definitely worse now than it was in Labor managed economy.