The program section curated by Lina Dinkla (DOK Leipzig) and Katharina Franck is dedicated to working conditions in 21st-century Europe and the challenges that come with them.
Capitalism, free markets, unfettered liberalism: A large portion of the personnel in politics and business simply cannot stop preaching this as an auspicious answer to the question regarding better living conditions. But let’s face it: The reality check keeps showing a rapidly growing inequality, a rise in precarious forms of employment, and working conditions that are no longer just unbearable, but life-shortening.
For over two decades, the Working Worlds have been taking a thorough look at the manifold European realities of employment. The focus this year is on those frequently overlooked: people who do manual labor, who are getting their hands dirty every day; who produce, maintain, and clean things – and who, in some circumstances, leave to then work a second job.
The different kinds of life realities in Europe are connected through central questions: Is my work enough to secure my living? Do I receive the wage that I deserve? Or is it maybe that the conditions caused by the present European war situation are so existential that the concern is actually only survival? Who are the people keeping our society running? Who does the tasks that we cannot do without, yet that rarely become the focus of attention? The program meets workers in a great variety of areas, from cleaning to trade, to energy and industrial economy. Likewise, the focus is on those who organize themselves, who will not put up with abuse and who fight for fairer pay and more dignified working conditions – and whose struggle is also met with success.
Heike, a facility manager at a cleaning company, is the main character in the fiction feature I UNDERSTAND YOUR DISPLEASURE. She is working in a system of subcontractors that seems to be utterly perverted. Constant pressure, unfair targets, and a lack of support are putting a strain on her until she’s had enough.
In the person of Katya, WELDED TOGETHER, too, portrays a woman doing a physically and emotionally demanding job. However, being a welder brings her joy in her work and recognition, while her private life is marked by rejection, abuse, and co-dependence.
THE THING TO BE DONE, on the other hand, tells a story about a direct labor dispute: The shipyard workers in Koper, Slovenia, have united to fight for better employment agreements. Supported by an office for workers’ rights, they manage to achieve a surprising success.
Seemingly hopeless, however, are the struggles of a thermal power plant’s staff in Kurakhove, Ukraine: THE LAST PROMETHEUS OF DONBAS shows them holding out until the very end, trying to keep the facility running for the city’s population. (Lina Dinkla & Katharina Franck)
For over two decades, the Working Worlds have been taking a thorough look at the manifold European realities of employment. The focus this year is on those frequently overlooked: people who do manual labor, who are getting their hands dirty every day; who produce, maintain, and clean things – and who, in some circumstances, leave to then work a second job.
The different kinds of life realities in Europe are connected through central questions: Is my work enough to secure my living? Do I receive the wage that I deserve? Or is it maybe that the conditions caused by the present European war situation are so existential that the concern is actually only survival? Who are the people keeping our society running? Who does the tasks that we cannot do without, yet that rarely become the focus of attention? The program meets workers in a great variety of areas, from cleaning to trade, to energy and industrial economy. Likewise, the focus is on those who organize themselves, who will not put up with abuse and who fight for fairer pay and more dignified working conditions – and whose struggle is also met with success.
Heike, a facility manager at a cleaning company, is the main character in the fiction feature I UNDERSTAND YOUR DISPLEASURE. She is working in a system of subcontractors that seems to be utterly perverted. Constant pressure, unfair targets, and a lack of support are putting a strain on her until she’s had enough.
In the person of Katya, WELDED TOGETHER, too, portrays a woman doing a physically and emotionally demanding job. However, being a welder brings her joy in her work and recognition, while her private life is marked by rejection, abuse, and co-dependence.
THE THING TO BE DONE, on the other hand, tells a story about a direct labor dispute: The shipyard workers in Koper, Slovenia, have united to fight for better employment agreements. Supported by an office for workers’ rights, they manage to achieve a surprising success.
Seemingly hopeless, however, are the struggles of a thermal power plant’s staff in Kurakhove, Ukraine: THE LAST PROMETHEUS OF DONBAS shows them holding out until the very end, trying to keep the facility running for the city’s population. (Lina Dinkla & Katharina Franck)
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