This May Day, we’re taking a look back at our last year’s activities, which once again focused mainly on workplace issues. We held workshops on organising in the workplace, with a focus on the experiences of women and queer people, and on our rights in the event that the police take an interest in our protest activities. Meetings were held in various regions (Bratislava, Žilina, Brno, Skalica), and we updated the brochure dedicated to student part-time work. We coordinated a puppet theatre tour across four countries, took part in a podcast with Pracujúca chudoba (Working Poor), and participated in the 29th Congress of the International Workers’ Association (IWA). And there was more.
PROBLEMS IN THE WORKPLACE
Dispute over unpaid wages with VegaNana
The campaign, which began in 2024, continued throughout 2025. Direct actions were carried out and we also responded to intimidation. Information about the dispute in various languages can be found here: https://priamaakcia.sk/tag/veganana.
Other cases
We were contacted by people in Slovakia and the Czech Republic regarding unpaid overtime, unpaid invoices for self-employed workers in the construction sector, unpaid wages and tips, forming union organisations in the workplace, and also dealt with a case of a Ukrainian worker in Slovakia whose agency failed to pay her wages.
We also published an article on a successful dispute over the payment of wages owed from 2024.
We sent a protest email in support of the dispute brought by ASI (the Serbian section of the IWA) regarding unpaid wages.
LONG-TERM ACTIVITIES
“Are you taking on a temporary job?“
International Week Against Unpaid Wages
During the third week of October, events are taking place around the world as part of the International Week Against Unpaid Wages, declared by the International Workers’ Association (IWA). During the Week, we distributed stickers on the streets of Bratislava and published a report on the activities of other IWA unions.
PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
Workshops
In February, we organised a workshop focused on organising in the workplace focused on the experiences of women and queer people. It was led by our comrade from Solidarity Federation, the UK section of the IWA. We discussed how to start organising in the workplace, build support among colleagues and respond to various forms of injustice or discrimination.
Together with people from activist circles, we also organised a workshop on how to behave in the presence of the police at protests and if summoned to the police station, and what to be careful about.
Puppet theatre
In September, we coordinated performances by the anti-authoritarian puppet collective Titeres desde abajo (Puppets from Below) from Granada and Barcelona. The performance focused on the theme of freedom and took place in Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia. A recording can be viewed at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qwAHKz7XKo
Anarchist Bookfair in Brno
Once again, we had a stall with our materials.
Podcast on solving problems in the workplace
At the end of November, we took part in a podcast with civic association Pracujúca chudoba (Working Poor), which focused on our common and differing approaches to solving problems in the workplace. The recording and Slovak transcript can be found here.
INFORMAL MEETINGS
In March, a barbecue took place in Brno. In June, a weekend event was held in Záhorie, where we met with people supporting our activities.
In addition, a barbecue and a family-friendly hike took place in the Žilina area during the summer.
HISTORICAL EVENTS
We commemorated the International Women’s Day with practical solidarity, supporting CNT-AIT Spain in their dispute with the company Lefties related to unsuitable work schedule for a mother caring for a child.
DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS
Open meetings
These meetings are intended for people in the regions who want to actively tackle problems at work, bring their own topics to the discussion, or get involved in the union’s ongoing and planned activities. In 2025, they took place in Bratislava, Žilina, Skalica and Brno (Czech Republic). We discussed a wide range of topics, such as how to respond to fascist propaganda in our communities, what to do about bullying at work, the specific circumstances and rights of people with disabilities in the workplace, how to defend against landlords’ attempts to extract money from tenants for fabricated damage, what is required to form a local group focused on workplace issues, and so on.
IWA Working Group on the Climate Crisis
International discussions on this topic have been taking place within the IWA for several years. Online meetings continued in 2025.
29th IWA Congress
At the end of the year, we took online part in the 29th IWA Congress. The Congress is IWA’s highest decision-making body and was held in East Asia for the first time. We welcomed new organisations and discussed the further expansion of the IWA worldwide. An important item on the agenda was the discussion on the founding and growth of anarchosyndicalist organisations.
Zväz Priama akcia
