Sindikalno organizovanje u kontekstu akademskog kapitalizma
Union Organizing in Academic Capitalism Context: the Case of Serbia

Author(s): Nađa Bobičić, Lara Končar, Milica Sekulović
Subject(s): Economic history, Social history, Labor relations, Higher Education , Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Present Times (2010 - today)
Published by: Durieux
Keywords: union organizing; academic precariat; academic capitalism; resistance strategies;
Summary/Abstract: The paper discusses the problems of union organization that researchers face at the beginning of their academic careers in the context of the neoliberal transformation of universities in Serbia, which began in 2005, through the introduction of the Bologna reform. At the beginning of the paper, a conceptual framework was given around the terms »academic precariat«, »gig academy«, »academic capitalism«, which served to enable the specific working position of academic workers in the context of neoliberal transformation of the university. Through the analysis of legal and strategic documents, as well as a review of relevant research that takes the position of young researchers at the academy as a central topic, some of the key problems faced by young researchers are presented: non-standard employment contracts, legal problems, low investments in scientific research, labor migration and difficult models of association in order to protect labor rights through the actions of representative bodies. The paper gives examples of trade unions and organizations that work in the institutional and noninstitutional field on naming the problem of precariousness of young research and models of sustainable solutions. Finally, the paper points out the problems of the position of academic unions in the modern context as well as the need for their autonomous action in relation to power structures.

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