Reaserch on working conditions in commerce and service in BIH

As its contribution to SSSBIH activities in the election campaign and with the aim of drawing attention to the extreamly difficult working condition in BH commerce and service sector,STBIH made external independet reaserch. This project was supported by HK region Agder og Rogoland and was implemented in cooperation with Association for Democratic Initiatives,NGO with remarkable experience in the field of human rights in BIH.

This reaserch was conducted in ten cities in BIH: Mostar,Trebinje,Međugorje,Tuzla,Bihać,Prijedor,BAnja LUka,Zenica and Sarajevo. More then 1000 workers took part in it in the period from 15 April until 15 July. The results of it were presented in public in September prior to the general election in BIH and published in a booklet.

The research clearly shows what STBIH claims form many years now: the work in commerce and service in BIH is slavery!

Workers mostly work with fixed term contract and 18% of them has no contract at all and are apsolutlly unprotected in legal system. It also shows that workers in commerce work mostly overtime and 1/3 of that work is not compensated at all which make millions of working hours per year.15% of workers has no holiday and only 15% of women have right to maternity leave according to the law. 48,5% of those who participated in the research is responsible for the stolen goods and have to pay it back themsleves.

This research shows that rights have been seriously violeted in BH commerce today. However there is still the most people appling for the employement in this sector. This is due to the fact that liberal commerce law gives posibility for all those who can not find their jobs in other sectors to apply in commerce.Most of them accept any conditions just for a working place and by this make employement in this sector as “volontar slavery”

The bright side of the research is opinion of its participants who are members in STBIH.76,9% of them are staisfied with their union and see their rights as improved after they joined STBIH.

The resaerch was sent to all political parties and was clearly used as a signal to BH citizens prior to the elections.