FIET Commerce
FIET Central and Eastern Europe
20 January, 1998
The FIET solidarity project
in Bosnia and Herzegovina
FIET Commerce FIET Central and Eastern Europe 20 January, 1998 |
The FIET solidarity project in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
The FIET project in Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to expand. At a meeting in Mostar on 8 - 9 January 1998 of the international project committee, the union leaders from different European countries repeated their commitment to support the peace and reconstruction process in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also the Nordic employers were represented and will continue to support the FIET project, important parts of which reach out also to the employers and their structures.
At a joint session with the executive board of the Independent Commerce Trade Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stock was taken of the union's achievements during the first project year. It has now succeeded to consolidate its membership basis and to build up its structures in different parts of the Federation. The door is still open for joint trade union structures for the whole of the country as defined in the Dayton Peace Agreement - indeed, this is one of the main project objectives.
In Mostar itself, many project activities have taken place during 1997. The little cafe that has been opened by the FIET project in the historical Trade Union House in East Mostar is one of the central points for unionists and others to meet. Here, workers can meet and read newspapers and magazines from both sides of the divided town. There is always a cup of coffee prepared for them, which is important in this culture where people like to meet and discuss in the cafes before going home for a late dinner.
The international project committee and the delegation from the Norwegian commercial workers' union which visited Mostar at the same time could also talk with the poarticipants of the first vocational training course at the so-called Swiss House. These are unemployed women, who come to this centre in Mostar where they receive an up-to-date training in office skill. The FIET project has supported the Swiss House by providing the fifteen computers that are used for the training programmes. We also support the women's activities at the Swiss House, bringing together participants from all three main population groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The FIET project representative in Mostar, Zelja Grubecic, is one of the leaders of this women's programme.
On behalf of the Norwegian delegation, the president of HK Sture Arntzen invited two football teams from Mostar to participate in this year's Norway Cup, in oslo in October. This is the world's largest international team football tournament, and participation in it will surely be an unforgettable experience for the players who will come from both sides of Mostar. The FIET project organisation has already started with the practical preparations for this project, which will hopefully give a real boost to sports activities and other contacts stretching over the divides between the population groups.
Also some socio-economic community projects in the Mostar region were discussed. Among them was an initiative to build safe playgrounds for children in this town where land mines are still a major risk. The Norwegian commercial workers have also committed themselves to supply a centre for deaf people with the necessary hearing aids and are discussing a water supply project for an outlying community in the region. For these projects, a small co-operation committee between the FIET project administration and the Norwegian Peoples Aid office in Mostar was established.
Many other parts of the FIET project are developing as well. The large undertaking to furnish and equip the Economics School of Sarajevo is now in its final stages of preparation. At a meeting arranged by FIET, representatives of the Danish social partners in commerce and the school itself met in Sarajevo in December. There, they agreed on the logistics for project implementation and on the drafting of the final project application. This has now been done and will be submitted to the Danish authorities for approval.
In Zenica, a FIET project to renovate the commerce school is about to start. Here, the Finnish social partners in commerce will take the responsibility. A first meeting with the school and thelocal social partners in Zenica is scheduled for February after which the project will hopefully soon get started.
Taking note of the expansion of project activities, the committee decided that a finance officer should be employed in the FIET Sarajevo project office. It also decided to appoint Mersiha Besirovic as project administrator and deputy to the project director, Alex Ruedig. Claudio Treves of FILCAMs, Italy was confirmed as a new member of the international project committee, which is chaired by Sture Arntzen of HK Norway.
The FIET Solidarity Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina
With FIET in Mostar - picture page (takes time to load!)
FIET project helps women trade unionists build networks
FIET meets with commerce executive committee in the Serb Republic
Report on project activities from October 1996 to December 1997
Our e-mail address is: jan_furstenborg@fiet.org