O Fórum dos ex-trabalhadores da ex- RDA na cidade de Maputo(1999-2006)

Abstract

This paper discusses the dynamics of the Forum of former workers of the former GDR, called “Forum madjermane”. The work came from the observation that the Forum in question was gaining a lot of visibility to the point that the Government felt forced to negotiate with it. In this sense, we proposed to understand which, from a sociological point of view, would have been the factors that explained the Forum's strategic efficiency/success in claiming the rights of ex-workers, such as social security, 60% of the value of the salary transferred. during the term of the 1979 Agreement, etc. Our assumptions were that the intense internal communication in the Forum and the help of German employers were decisive for the Forum's efficiency and strategic success. In order to operationalize the concepts and their indicators, the fieldwork was carried out in Jardim 28 de Maio, “Headquarters” of the Madjermane Forum, located in Bairro do Alto-Maé in Maputo City. Data collection was carried out, basically, through semi-structured interviews, direct and free observation in the place and registration in a “field diary”. The results found invalidate, on the one hand, our first hypothesis, as the Forum notes the existence of great internal disorganization, characterized by struggles for power, regionalism, non-compliance with supposedly consensual decisions, etc. On the other hand, the results confirm our second hypothesis, as the transfer maps sent by German employers decisively help the Forum to discuss the rights of former government workers by presenting concrete and reliable data. The transfer of 21 billion meticais of Government shares in Socremo to Fortmord further fermented the discomfort of this socio-professional group with the Government, because in the opinion of the “madjermane” of Jardim 28 de Maio, there are still around 5800 former workers who have not yet received social insurance, much less the 60% of the transferred salary still in payment. The knowledge of former workers that the rights they are claiming from the Government are enshrined in the 1979 Agreement signed by the same, gives them more strength to demand the Government to comply with its obligations, and the acknowledgment of guilt that the State has to the former workers, he makes him continue to pay them even with the declarations of definitive “closure” of the “madjermane” file.