Workers' Councils in the Service of the Market: New Archival Evidence on the Origins of Self-Management in Yugoslavia 1948–1950

Unkovski-Korica, Vladimir

doi:10.1080/09668136.2013.855020

Cited by 23 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…From this perspective, there is no contradiction between self-management and the instruction from the Maritime Minister that the work collective should focus its efforts on increasing the firm's competitiveness. 53 At the same time, Jugolinija's employees were hardly docile, and over time, they would assert their right, enshrined in the constitutional amendments of 1953, to have a say in the running of the company's operations. Thus, rather than a real decision-making body or managerial structure, the workers' collective is best understood as a forum that allowed employees to respond to business that was brought before them by management.…”

Section: Socialist Ideology: a Red Herring?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rijeka as a socialist port: Insights from Jugolinija's early years, 1947-1960

Normand

2021

International Journal of Maritime History

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To understand the distinctiveness of ports under state socialism, it is necessary to shift the focus from the built environment to flows of people, goods, knowledge and capital. In so doing, this article examines the operation of Yugoslavia's main shipping line, Jugolinija, from its inception in 1947 until 1960. This enterprise was based in the port of Rijeka, with both firm and port experiencing rapid growth during this period. The impact of state socialism can be seen in the primacy of the political over the profitability of the firm, with Jugolinija used to advance Yugoslavia's foreign trade and foreign policy, its interests being subordinated to the project of building self-managed socialism. It can also be seen in the unique challenges posed by having to operate at the intersection of the global market and a highly regulated economy – a situation that also created opportunities for the firm as a whole, as well as for its employees, who had access to foreign currency, travel and knowledge of the world. Jugolinija's privileged access to the world in what was still very much a closed society also created opportunities for ‘leaks’ of personnel and goods. Finally, socialist ideology left its imprint on Jugolinija's operations and shaped the ways in which its employees understood their work and the place of the firm within the Yugoslav economy. While it is tempting to see state socialism as ‘getting in the way’ of Jugolinija's business, in actuality the firm was remarkably successful both at operating within the Yugoslav socialist state framework, and capitalizing on the opportunities provided by access to the global market. Jugolinija's employees, in turn, profited from the mobility that came with working for the firm, sometimes at the expense of the enterprise and the state.

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Section: Socialist Ideology: a Red Herring?mentioning

confidence: 99%