|
|
Bosnian commercial workers elect first woman president Azra Sehbajraktarevic is the new president of the Commercial Workers' Trade Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The young lawyer from Sarajevo was elected at the union's second Congress, which was held last Thursday in the Bosnian capital. Forty-five delegates represented the 6,000 members of this union, which was created when the Dayton Peace Agreement of December 1995 had put an end to three years of war.
During the last five years, a basis for normal trade union work in the Bosnian commerce sector has been built. Uni Commerce and its predecessor FIET has supported the union in its development efforts and in recreating the broken ties with the colleagues in the Serb Republic. Today, the two commerce trade unions in Bosnia and Herzegovina work closely together as members of Uni, through their Coordinating Committee. The challenges for the Bosnian unions are enormous. Unemployment remains high and many workers still do not get any wages. In this situation, it is difficult for trade unions to protect and promote the well-being of their members. Speaking on behalf of Uni and the project committee, Jan Furstenborg focused on the positive developments that have taken place. The commerce union is leading the way of the trade union movement into the new market economy, well placed to meet the challenges of the real private sector. In her speech to the Congress, Alex Rüdig of Uni Commerce underlined the role that the young project workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina have played in the union's development process. She thanked the outgoing president Hasan Kovac for his cooperation and confirmed that the commitment of the project partners abroad remains strong. The Congress in Sarajevo was attended also by Suleiman Hrle, president of the Trade Union Confederation, Goran Savanovic, president of the Commerce and Tourism Trade Union of the Republika Srpska, Sten Lykkebo, secretary of HK Handel, Denmark and Alex Rüdig of Uni Commerce. |
