Commerce
Home Page

Commerce
project in
Bosnia and
Herzegovina

Women trade unionists create network in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to bridge any entity divides

Mersiha Besirovic, left, is the key person building up a women's network in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Standing with project director Alex Rüdig at the temporary bridge where Mostar's Stari Most used to be, she describes how the women trade unionists have decided to go even further in their unique co-operation, bringing together people from all population groups.

After a year 1999 full of active work, the women in commerce and finance of BiH have decided to take the next step forward. They will develop both their network structure and their activities.

An important event was held in Mostar at the end of December, where 35 women from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, representing different trade union locals in commerce and finance, met for a two-day conference.

To be cut off from the rest of the country, due to terrible weather conditions and enormous amounts of snow, did not stop the women from reaching important and positive conclusions concerning their future activities.

The women want their work to be transparent and well-known all over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore they decided to call themselves the Women's Network of BiH. This name also shows that there will be no borders built towards other sectors and trade union structures. This is an open network, the priority will be on contents and not structures. The work plan of the women’s network, WNBiH 2000, will now be launched.

This project was discussed and adopted at the Mostar conference. It foresees a move of emphasis from a general to more regional level, focusing on co-operation between regions and towns that are geographically connected although they may be in different entities. Thus, the women would meet more frequently and communication between them would be easier.

There is now an elected working group, with three members, which will support the local groups that are emerging, helping them to implement their initiatives and activities Each of these local group will propose concrete activities and make plans for their future work. Some of the groups have already reacted and a meeting of the working party is set for late February.

At their Mostar conference, the women expressed a strong need to develop an inter-professional women’s group comprising of women from existing trade union structures. This will be the priority in our work in the near future and the main aim of their WNBiH 2000 project.

The women trade unionists have also discussed the new labour law of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the differences compared with the law in Republika Srpska. They have concluded that as much as both laws formally give reasonable rights to women, their implementation in real life is a completely different matter.

Written by Mersiha Besirovic, deputy project director, Sarajevo