The FIET Trade Union Solidarity Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The real trade union experts on privatisation in Central and Eastern Europe gathered in Sarajevo in mid-September to help their colleagues in Bosnia and Herzegovina lay out their strategies. At a major FIET Conference in newly renovated Dom Sindikata, commerce union leaders from the Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Macedonia, Poland and Slovakia discussed their experiences with the two host unions, the Commercial Workers' Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Commerce and Tourism Trade Union of the Serb Republic.

Part of a series of events within large Norwegian and Swedish financed FIET projects, the privatisation conference coincided with the forced delaying of the labour legislation in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The conference participants engaged themselves strongly in support of their host unions, underlining that privatisation can be supported only when workers' rights on a normal European level are guaranteed. It is also essential, that privatisation is carried through in a transparent way and that sufficient employment guarantees are required.

Properties were sold and workers lost their jobs

Too often, privatisation has been speculative, with the new owners not being interested to carry on with the business activities of the enterprise. Real estate values have been the driving force behind a take-over, and when properties have been sold, workers have lost their jobs. It has also not been uncommon that management has let the enterprise deteriorate before buying it out at a heavily discounted price. Also clearly corrupt takeovers are known to have happened and in many cases, the region's trade unions have been the ones to react. Altogether, it has been a difficult experience for the commerce trade unions in Central and Eastern Europe to try to protect the jobs and other interests of their members in a situation where so many establishment members have tried to enrich themselves at the expense of others.

The conference listened to interventions by the top union leaders, who were present. Klaus Jahns, president of the commerce section of Germany's DAG, told about his union's experiences with the transition in the new German states. Andrzjej Matla, secretary of the national commission of Solidarnosc, told about his union's co-operation with FIET in organising the new private commerce sector of Poland. The Czech model, which has strongly influenced also the Bosnian approach, was presented by Alexander Leiner and Renata Burianova, the president and general secretary of OSPO. In a detailed presentation of the different facets of privatisation in commerce, Slovakian commerce union president Daniela Merunkova supported by three specialists showed where to look for the problems from a worker's viewpoint.

Trade union struggle continues in Zagreb

Bringing the experiences from two other ex-Yugoslavian countries, Croatia and Macedonia, union presidents Ana Knezevic and Mirjana Hadzi Skerleva drew much attention from the host union representatives. Ana Knezevic could also tell about the difficult environment in which her commercial workers' trade union operates. The most recent struggle is going on in the Zagreb-based commerce enterprise NAMA, where workers' fight for their jobs, against attempts to sell off the company in a very questionable way.

This was the first post-war visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina by commerce union leaders from other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. In connection with the conference they met also with the two union presidents of the host country, Hasan Kovac and Bogdan Davidovic. They also held discussions with Suleijman Hrle, president of the Independent Trade Union Confederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and participated in the FIET project meeting for the Western Balkans, which was held the day after the conference. All the foreign participants signalled their intention to continue the active co-operation, which was launched at these meetings in Sarajevo.

See also:

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

Croatian commercial workers struggle against state-owned bank, try to save their jobs