The FIET Trade Union Solidarity Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina

In central Sarajevo, a small training centre for the capital's commercial workers was inaugurated by FIET project director Alex Rüdig on 15 September. The classroom can accommodate twenty-five students and will be busy with a variety of courses during the whole week.

Speaking to an audience of local trade unionists as well as trade union leaders from other European countries, Alex Rüdig underlined the need for unions to offer training opportunities to their members. Particularly when collective agreement protection is difficult to offer, because of the lack of labour legislation, unions have to be useful in other ways.

With fifteen networked computers, the union members can develop their technology skills and thus strengthen their position in working life. In addition to computer courses, the centre will also offer language training in English, German and French. The course activities, which also comprise more traditional trade union training, are open also for family members.

The curriculum of the training centre has been developed on the basis of requests by Sarajevo's commercial workers. More than half of the 1,500 organised commercial workers in this city have registered for one or more courses, which will force the FIET project office to rent also external space.

The training centre is part of the co-operation between the commercial workers' trade union locals in Sarajevo and Copenhagen, Denmark. The Danish commerce union HK Handel and its Copenhagen local have been active partners in the FIET Trade Union Solidarity Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, since activities were first launched in January 1997.