When the President counts Protestants for 1. May – Personal views

Friday, 2. May

I get up early, in five, to have a first morning coffee on peace and arrived in time at Novas Studio, where I guest in the morning program that is run by Nevena Madžarević. We discuss impressions and messages from the marking of May 1 in Belgrade. Mine are certainly positive – students, unions, citizens and citizens of Belgrade, for the first time in this way, gathered around the idea for changing the Labor Law and the Law on Strikes.

Independence activists also arrived from other cities to our gathering in Dimitrije Tucović, new now, Vrbas, Bujanovac, Prokuplje, Pozarevac, Valjeva, Sremske Mitrovica, Kruševac and I am sure that I have unfairly forgotten some of the cities in enumeration. Mladost deservedly dominated, experience was trying not to fail.

Common fight and readiness for the next phase.

Upon returning home, with colleagues I exchange photos, videos and impressions. We are on social networking texts. I read estimates about the number of people who gathered in front of the Government – the archive of public gatherings says that there were eighteen thousand. The president of the state says 5,673. I did not hear or read that the president of any country counted the participants of the first protests. Vacation.

Saturday, 3. May

Today and tomorrow is marked by two tragic events – mass murder in the elementary school « Vladislav Ribnikar » in Belgrade and the mass murder in Dubony and Mali Orasj. All I would say – it is insufficient and superfluous, at the same time.

Today is the World War of Freedom of Media. On the website of the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia, I read that, during 2024. years, 166 attacks, pressures on journalists, including seventeen physical attacks. Only in the first four months of 2025. years, already 116 attacks and pressures were recorded, including thirteen physical attacks. Like we’re rushing for the unobserved records and so in various areas.

I spend a few hours in the afternoon in the office. I’m fixing the papers behind the crowd about the preparation of May Day and send emergency bills to those who invested great effort to book the first of May we planned.

Sunday, 4. May

Morning coffee, on the radio Faith No More and the song « Easy Like Sunday Morning », quite appropriate.

Planned interview for a new magazine that was scheduled for ten in the morning we move in thirteen hours, just to complete some housework and procurement.

At noon, on sports channels, I follow the reviews of the Euroleague basketball game. Without partisans, in the continuation of the competition, it will be watching without cheering, I still look forward to the final tournament of the best fours in Abu Dhabi at the end of the month. Listen to Abu Dhabi.

Monday, 5. May

Morning meeting with Miloš, executive secretary. Agreement on the structure of the report from the first May and the next session of the Executive Board. With sweetie, the head of the legal service discusses further work of the working group consisting of lawyers from five union centers and students in the blockade.

Everything for the official proposal of the Labor Law and the Law on Strikes is finished.

With the colleague Sanja from the Department of International Union Cooperation, I cross all obligations we must do to host over two hundred delegates from the Intermediate Conference of the European Confederation of the Trade Union to be held in Belgrade.

This will be the most numerous and most significant union cally in Europe between two congresses of the European Confederation of the Union and is important to us to be held in Belgrade. This is also a clear message that the European union movement sees us as part of the European community, although we are stuck as a state on the way to the European Union. The intermediate conference will be held under the slogan « achieving a fair agreement for workers in the changed world of work ».

Tuesday, 6. May

Checking the situation in current strikes. Delays in obtaining a decision on the registration of new trusts. Threat to cancel the main trustee. Initiatives to establish new trusts. Talks on activist education. International Sidimal Support Campaigns in Belarus prisons. Production of propaganda material. Themes for an average day at work.

I end in the first in a row, an online meeting of the study group of the European Economic and Social Committee for the preparation of opinions on « Works of journalists and media workers as a guarantor of independent and true information ». Participants are representatives of workers, employers, NGOs and European Federation of Journalists, with the main message to where unions are strong and where there are collective agreements – the protection of journalists and media workers is better.

Wednesday, 7. May

I am moving with colleagues for Nis in the morning to visit regional trust, where we have a meeting of colleges. We discuss the network expansion campaign, selecting cities and activities to suggest to the Executive Board.

Upon returning home, I look forward to what I will find the time for the book. My generation at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade is one of the last « Yugoslav » generations and one number continued to socialize and after the faculty despite the madness of war and despite the uncertaints of life in newly created states.

We, during our visits, we still give each other books. When my friend Darija from Split was the last time in Belgrade, I brought me a book by Robert Perišić « Brod for Issa », I donated « Estoril » Dejan Tiago Stanković. I join the reincarnation of the bribe about Issi tonight about the first city on the Adriatic.

Thursday, 8. May

In the morning, together with Course Dragica, I’m leaving in Novi Sad. Dragica, during the road, answered calls from the field and provides legal advice. First, a visit to the regional independence credential. After that, visit to the Provincial Social Economic Council, while Dragica goes negotiations for a new collective agreement in Vojvodina Radio and Television.

Negotiations successfully completed and a new collective agreement will be signed tomorrow, 9. May, on the day of victory against fascism in World War II. Death Fascism – Freedom of the people!

The author is the president of the United Branch Union « Independence »

The author’s attitudes in the dialogue not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Danas.