Several dozens of workers from Bosnia and Herzegovina who were swindled out of their earnings for the work they have done in Slovenia protested, together with the activists of the Dosta Movement and Slovenian NGO “Invisible Workers of the World, demanding they are allowed to return to Slovenia to collect the huge claims owed by their Slovenian employers.

Croatian trade unions announced that succeeded in collecting enough signature on the petition for a referendum on the Labour Law, but the plebiscite remains far from certain, having in mind the the Speaker of the Sabro Luka Bebić, who will receive the initiative to call for a referendum sometimes next week, doesn't have where to submit it to be checked and tested properly. For four years now, the Constitutional Court has no competence to test the legality of a referendum question, or whether the organizers of a petition collected sufficient number of signature.

The International Workers’ Day, May 1, celebrates the achievements of labour and left-wing movements, with demonstrations and street marches organized by labour unions and working people. This year, for the better part of the world, that tradition holds. Furthermore, the ongoing economic crisis, with its extremely negative effects on employment, salaries and general standards of living, have taken hundreds of thousands to take the streets of major cities all over the world, to demand a fair redistribution of crisis’ consequences among all layers of society.

The First Congress of the Second International in Paris 1889 decided that mass demonstrations and strikes for protection of working class interests will be held on May 1 every year, starting with 1890. May 1 became the day of the struggle for rights for the working class all over the world. While streets of cities around the world shake and burn with workers' protests, BiH and Sarajevo celebrated May 1, for 120 years, with barbeques and picnics, without true May 1 demonstrations. It is the highest time to show the mass and potential of workers' and civic revolt in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Valentina Pellizzer, owpsee executive directress, commented on her blog loudtalks.valentinapellizzer.net on Thursday’s protests organized by workers in Jablanica, and the violent protests by war-veterans in Sarajevo. We carry the full text of the commentary, written yesterday, April 22.

On the occasion of the World Day of Social Justice, marked last Saturday, February 20, the Civil NGO asked the Government of Macedonia and all competent institutions for social rights in the country what did they do to improve the social situation in Macedonia, and proposed to journalists to ask questions related to social justice from representatives of all ”ecision-making bodies.

A public opinion survey on perception of discrimination, conducted by the Centre for Peace Studies, Government's Human Rights Office and the Ombudsman found that 58 percent of the citizens believe that discrimination in Croatia is most present in the areas of labour and employment.