The FIET trade union solidarity project in Bosnia and Herzegovina

FIET Commerce  Documents

After a long struggle, the workers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina have got their labour law. Enacted by the Federation  parliament on 5 October, just days before the big trade union demonstration was to take place in Sarajevo, the law finally brings some protection to workers and gives their trade unions a chance to do their job.

Delayed by the international community, the law still does not solve the problem of those workers who will lose their places on the so-called waiting lists for jobs. To compensate them as previewed by the original proposal, say the internationals who remind that they would have to pay most of the bill, would be far too expensive. This issue was therefore left on the table, to be solved before the waiting lists are dismantled next spring.

The trade unions, while welcoming this progress, still went along with their rally in Sarajevo in the beginning of October. Among the workers' demands were a considerable decrease in income taxes, which are extremely high, and a fast start of collective agreement negotiations.

Together with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, FIET spoke out strongly against the September decision of the international community representatives to block the entire labour law. In addition to the waiting list problem, particularly the World Bank tried to stop the enacting of a law which was considered to be 'too friendly' for the workers and to discourage foreign investors. This attempt to impose a neo-liberal working life in Bosnia and Herzegovina has now been stopped, thanks to a strong and unified trade union front.

As labour legislation is once again delayed, FIET spearheads international trade union protests

FIET continues to protest against the international blockage of Bosnian labour legislation

Our e-mail address is: jan_furstenborg@fiet.org