 FIET Commerce FIET Central and Eastern Europe 24 June, 1998 |
 The FIET solidarity project in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
FIET Commerce FIET Central and Eastern Europe 24 June, 1998 |
The FIET solidarity project in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
FIET visited Belgrade for discussions with trade unions in Serbia
The first FIET delegation to Serbia held discussions in Belgrade on 12 to 15 May with the president of the independent trade union Nezadvisnost and with the executive committee of the independent bank workers' trade union. Jan Furstenborg, head of department of FIET Commerce and FIET Central and Eastern Europe and Alex Rüdig, director for the FIET projects in South-eastern Europe agreed on continued contacts with the Serbian trade unions. Together with Dimitris Tsoukalas, vice president of Greek bank workers' trade union OTOE and Aristoteles Lakkas, president of the unions training institution, they also informed the Serbian union leaders about global and European trade union co-operation.
With Nezadvisnost, FIET has enjoyed good relations already for many years. This independent trade union organisation has made itself known as a strong defender of peace, human rights and democratic society. In the discussions in Belgrade, it was agreed to launch joint project activities with Nezadvisnost in the FIET sectors as soon as possible.
The independent bank workers' trade union is a newer acquaintance. It has participated in two meetings in Greece for finance sector trade unions in the Balkans, arranged by OTOE. FIET will continue its contacts with this union.
Jan Furstenborg and Alex Rüdig also met with the ambassador of Finland, Mr Ilpo Manninen, who briefed them on the events in Serbia and other countries of the region from the viewpoint of a European Union member state.
More about the discussions in Belgrade
FIET general secretary visits Sarajevo and Mostar and expresses continued support for project activities
Philip Jennings, the general secretary of FIET, visited Bosnia and Herzegovina on 25 to 27 May. During his stay in Sarajevo and Mostar, he familiarised himself with the FIET trade union solidarity project and held discussions with local trade union leaders. At a meeting with Suleiman Hrle, president of the Independent Trade Union Confederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he discussed a FIET initiative to convene a high level international trade union meeting in Sarajevo next autumn, at the occasion of the third anniversary of the Dayton agreement, to discuss the responsibilities of the world's trade unions to support the reconstruction process. Philip Jennings also met with the commerce trade union presidents, Hasan Kovac and Bogdan Davidovic and with the president of the Independent Finance Workers' Trade Union Fuad Sahacic.
More about the visit to BiH of Philip Jennings
FIET privatisation conference brings together commerce and finance trade unions from both entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina
A major FIET privatisation conference in May brought together commerce and finance trade union leaders from both entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The unique meeting started in Laktashi in the Serb Republic on 18 May, to continue in Sarajevo the following two days. It focused on how trade unions can protect their members' interests in the privatisation process, which is already far advanced in commerce. A particular problem for commerce has been that also less serious investors, including war profiteers, can more easily establish themselves in this sector than in most other parts of the economy.
FIET was represented at the conference by Sture Arntzen, president of HK Norway and president of the FIET international project committee, and by Jan Furstenborg and Alex Rüdig. Also Aristoteles Lakkas, president of the training centre of FIET's Greek affiliate OTOE participated in the conference on FIET's behalf.
FIET launches major vocational education and training project in Zenica, together with the social partners of Finland
In co-operation and with the support of the commerce social partners of Finland, FIET has launched a major vocational education and training project in the Central Bosnian industrial town of Zenica. The project will include a renovation of parts of the school, which suffered badly during the war, when used as a military hospital. At a workshop on 21 and 22 May, the project was discussed with cantonal and local authorities, the social partners and representatives of the Zenica commerce college. FIET and the Finnish social partners will be joined by Arcada, which is a polytechnic university of the Swedish minority in Finland. Mr Henrik Wolff, president of Arcada and Mr Jan-Erik Krusberg, principal of Arcada's commerce college, joined Jan Furstenborg and Alex Rüdig of FIET at the Zenica workshop. The Finnish social partners were represented by Mr Timo Nasanen, head of the education policy department of LA, the FIET-affiliated commercial workers' union of Finland.
In discussions with the social partners and with Arcada in Helsinki in June, FIET's Jan Furstenborg presented a plan for launching the project. It was agreed to start preparations immediately for a project start already later this summer.
Young football players will play in Norway, sponsored by FIET and HK
Thirty young football players from Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina will play in the Norway Cup later this summer. As a part of the FIET project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Norwegian commerce and office workers' trade union HK has invited two teams to come to Norway for a one-week training camp and another week of tournament. Representing two local football clubs, one from East Mostar and the other one from West Mostar, the youngsters will fly to Oslo with a Norwegian aircraft chartered by HK. The Norwegian trade union is supported by its social partners and leading Norwegian enterprises. Also other trade unions in Norway participate in giving this life experience to the young footballers from the still divided town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The teams will be accompanied to Norway by FIET project staff from Mostar and Sarajevo. The FIET project office, supported by Norwegian Peoples Aid, is responsible for all arrangements for the trip.
Nordic commerce unions continue their project engagement
The Nordic Committee of Commerce Trade Unions has decided to continue its strong support for the FIET trade union solidarity project in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At its annual meeting in Sweden in June, the commercial workers' unions from the five Nordic countries agreed to share the responsibility for the project infrastructure in the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina also for next year. Since the project was launched in October 1996, the unions in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have co-operated closely with FIET in making the activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina possible.
FIET supports mine clearing in Bosanska Krupa and Gladicevo to make schools safe for the children
A FIET mine clearing project in Bosnia and Herzegovina is being prepared. The projects aim at supporting local community action by affiliated trade unions. Bosanska Krupa in the Una Sana Canton, near Bihac, and Gladicevo, half way between Sarajevo and Mostar, have been chosen as the two first locations. In both communities, local mine clearing teams will do the work and the FIET project will provide the equipment and other financial support that is needed. The Sarajevo project office is now working with the local trade unions and community representatives as well as with the Swiss House women's centre in Mostar, with a view of getting started within the next few months. FIET-affiliated trade unions in some Western European countries have expressed their interest to participate in these projects.
Commerce trade union organiser started in the Sarajevo Canton
Supported by the Copenhagen organisation of FIET's Danish affiliate HK Handel, together with the other HK locals in the Danish capital, the Independent Commerce Trade Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina has established a district office for the Sarajevo Canton. The office is situated in the so-called 'parrot house' in the centre of the Bosnian capital. Ekil Behlulovic has been engaged as the organiser for Sarajevo. He has a background as a football player and has played with professional teams in Germany.
Top labour leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina visit Norway with FIET, open the Dom Sindikata dossier
Suleiman Hrle, president of the Independent Trade Union Confederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina visited Norway in June for discussions with the Norwegian Trade Union Confederation LO and the Commerce and Office Workers' Union HK. The BiH delegation also comprised Hasan Kovac, president of the Independent Commerce Trade Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bogdan Davidovic, president of the Commerce and Tourism Trade Union of the Serb Republic. The delegation, which met with LO president Yngve Hågensen, HK president Sture Arntzen and other top labour leaders was accompanied by Jan Furstenborg and Alex Rüdig of FIET. They also participated in the National Council meeting of HK, which confirmed its strong commitment to FIET's project activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. With the LO president, the planned project to renovate the trade union house in Sarajevo, Dom Sindikata, was discussed. At FIET's and HK's initiative, this project is now being strongly promoted by LO in contacts with Norwegian authorities.
More about the visit to Norway
FIET meets Norwegian Peoples Aid to discuss developments in the Balkans
Jan Furstenborg and Alex Rüdig met with senior representatives of Norwegian Peoples Aid in Oslo in June to discuss recent developments in the Balkans. The aim of this meeting was to develop further the good co-operation that has been established between FIET and Norwegian Peoples Aid in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to extend it also to other countries in this region. The events in Kosovo and particularly the need to assist the people who are fleeing to Albania were dealt with at some detail in the discussions. Also some joint projects were on the agenda, such as the participation of Mostar football players in Norway Cup and the mine clearing projects in different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The FIET representatives were joined in these discussions by Kari Nöst, executive assistant to HK president Sture Arntzen. HK is the main supporter of the FIET project activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
HK Handel in Copenhagen gives computer training to Sarajevo office
The Copenhagen region of FIET's Danish commerce affiliate HK Handel trains the FIET Sarajevo project office staff in administration and computer skills. Mersiha Besirovic and Nerma Arnautovic, who are responsible for the project office, will be in Copenhagen in the end of June for a training session which will focus particularly on financial administration. Earlier this month, FIET project director Alex Rüdig visited Copenhagen to discuss the training programme with the Danish union. HK Handel in Copenhagen is strongly engaged in the FIET project and supports the Sarajevo Cantonal office of the Independent Commerce Trade Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sweden's Handels sends educator to train FIET's project staff
The Swedish FIET affiliated commercial workers' union Handels sends an experienced trade union educator to Sarajevo in July, to train FIET's project staff in conducting trade union education projects. The workshop will be directed by Benny Wiklund, organising secretary at Handels, who has an experience of working at FIET Headquarters in Geneva as education secretary. All FIET project staff from both entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina will participate.
FIET informs ICFTU about project activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina
At a meeting in Brussels in May, Jan Furstenborg and Alex Rüdig informed the ICFTU office about FIET's intensive project activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In discussions with Anna Oulatar, head of the Central and Eastern Europe department of the ICFTU and Jürgen Buxbaum, ICFTU project director for Bosnia, it was agreed to continue with close consultations also in the future. Next to FIET, ICFTU is the most active trade union project organisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, being the only other trade union international with a permanent presence in the country. ICFTU works together with the Independent Trade Union Confederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina within a large organisation development and training project. In the Serb Republic, it is the European Trade Union Confederation ETUC which bears the project responsibility on the confederation level.
In Sarajevo, the two project directors Alex Rüdig and Jürgen Buxbaum consult with each other on an ongoing basis. For FIET this is important as many of its projects also involve the confederation, directly or indirectly. FIET's regional project offices in different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina will also continue to provide services to the ICFTU when needed.
Our e-mail address is: jan_furstenborg@fiet.org