| FIET Commerce FIET Central and Eastern Europe 30 June, 1998 |
 The FIET solidarity project in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| FIET Commerce FIET Central and Eastern Europe 30 June, 1998 |
The FIET solidarity project in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
The FIET Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina - a view from Sarajevo
In January 1997, Mersiha Besirovic started to work as office assistant for the Independent Commerce Trade Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In June that year, she moved to the FIET Project Office in Sarajevo as project secretary. In January 1998, she was appointed deputy project director.
Mersiha is a Sarajevo girl, 24 years old. She has contributed this article where she expresses her personal views on our project work so far:
The idea of a FIET Project first appeared in October 1996, when the first delegation of representatives of the Nordic Commerce trade unions visited Sarajevo. At that time Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina had just survived four years of destruction, with everything destroyed that looked like human life.
In candle light, in the period of rebuilding of the country and taking the first steps in the reconstruction of the economy, FIET together with its big family of trade unions offered a hand of solidarity to the trade union movement of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At that time Commerce Trade union of Bosnia and Herzegovina had only two locals, with altogether about 300 members. There was a strong need for building up a trade union network, to gather commerce workers all over the country, especially youth and women.
The new situation has created one country with two entities, with two trade union structures existing at the same time. It was a big challenge to be able to launch a project, which covers the whole country, its both entities, and which includes also joint activities. It was also a big challenge to integrate yesterday's soldiers in today's peaceful work. But FIET was not afraid of the challenges. This project was meant to create something what is surely one of the biggest solidarity projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina .
In a year, Project has developed very good co-operation with the Confederation of Trade unions of Bosnia and Herzegovina , with local and state authorities. The first year of project work resulted in the emergence of a very well organised trade union and project network, both main and regional offices manned by young people who are dedicated to the ideals of a modern and democratic trade union movement.
In all project activities, the women of Bosnia and Herzegovina have a special role to play. Forming one of the most important parts of society, the women are particularly dedicated to building a better future for new generations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through its project, FIET supports seminars and courses that get together women from both entities, from different regions of the country. These women belong to different population groups, but they share the commitment to working together, knowing that this one of the basic conditions for being able to live in peace.
The women have created a strong network on their own conditions, which we hope will be powerful enough to influence the building up of a civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Together with its main supporter HK Norway and with the German trade unions DAG and HBV, FIET has organised seminars and workshops to help the women in their work. We have also provided the equipment for a computer class in the Swiss House in Mostar, which is an institution that brings together and helps women, particularly those who were civil victims of the war.
The transition to a market economy brought many changes to Bosnia and Herzegovina. A particularly serious problem is the high percentage of unemployed people, especially young people. Vocational education and vocational training can be the answer for overcoming this situation. Therefore, the project has paid special attention to this issue by taking an initiative to support the Economics School of Sarajevo. This school was totally destroyed during the war. Being on the first front line, the building became a battlefield. After the end of the war, neither the management nor the students of this school could even imagine that future generations would once more be educated there. Thanks to the Danish social partners and FIET, who will now take the main responsibility for furnishing and equipping the renovated building, they hope to start their everyday work at the beginning of the new school year, in September 1998.
It is almost impossible to make a list of the many things that FIET has done and is planning to do within its Solidarity Project for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The list would grow every day, because every day this big FIET family is participating in more and more activities.
Among all other things that FIET has achieved through its work in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the trust and faith of ordinary workers in the power of trade unionism. As one of the greatest poets of this country said in one of his poems:
"You were the one that came here,
Where it was impossible to come,
Here, where it was craziest to arrive,
Here where, however, it was bravest to grow.
Because here one doesn't live just because of life
Here one doesn't live just to die
Here one even die in order to stay alive."
Our e-mail address is: jan_furstenborg@fiet.org