Report 2007 | STBiH – Sindikat radnika trgovine i uslužnih djelatnosti BiH

Posted:
November 17, 2009
By:fiet
Categories:AGder og Rogoland, fiet, HK, konzum, pam, projects-news
Comments:
0

Report 2007

FIET SOLIDARITY PROJECT FOR BIH – [ ANNUAL REPORT ] Activity Report 2007

The general political and economical situation in BIH luckily did no reflect and influenced the project and union activities. Moreover the organizing activities were more sucesiful then in the years before. The main reason for this is very active and increased project support that helped CTUBIH to intensify its initiatives and missions. The first results were already very visible in the first half of 2007 but the annual membership fees result clearly shows this. The general lack of faith among BH population is clearly not affaceting the union work in the commerce sector. This is mainly due to the fact that Project made posibille for CTUBIH to be there where it is the most needed- on the working place of its members. It also provided CTUBIH with the possibility to offer to its members that what is needed the most– the services and activities that promote their working condition and their trust and confidence in the trade union movement. The project activities in 2007. also showed that CTUBIH aims on modern and effective European trade unionism where trade unions are partners with the employers and where social security and the prosperity of the society is joint effort and mission of all social partners.

Chapter 1

ANNUAL REPORT

INTENSIFIED ACTIVITIES AS A KEY TO FURTHER ORGANIZING

INTRODUCTION

Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2007 faced lot of challenges both in political and economical sphere of life. All essential reforms that lead this country towards EU such as Constitution reform and Reform of police were stopped. It took more then half a year for Governments in some cantons of Federation of BIH to be put in placed. The introduction of VET made a great burden to already exosted BH citizens. The increasement of retail prices of 17% made life of ordinary people even more difficult. Constant strikes like the major strike of all health institution from March to the end of May blocked even the basic human rights such as right to health care. In his speech on the meeting of Peace Implementation Council in June, Mr. Komšić, a member of Presidency of BIH defined the citizens of BIH “tired and completely exosted and hopeless due to the fact that have became not only the hostages of so called process of transition and postwar recovery but even more of growing nationalism, not functioning governments and lack of any perspective which makes the clear picture of today’s BIH”.

At the same time, In October 2007, the number of persons in paid employment I legal entities in the BIH amounted to 679 236, out of which there were 262 028 women. The total number of registered unemployed persons in the same period was 520 014, out of which 250 275 women or 48,1%.the official unemployment rate according to semi-annual survey RAD-15 and comperated with monthly survey RAD – 1 in October 2007 was 43,4%.

The prices in November 2007 increased for 4, 1% comparing to the same period in 2006. The highest incraesement is calculated in food prices (8,4%) and education (4,9&) The prices of shoes were the only one decreased in 2007 (2,7%) The annual inflation rate in EU 13 countries in 2007 was 2,6% while at the same time the rate in BIH was 3,1%.*

In general, when we look to the situation in BIH as a country, all economical and social figures shows that out of 3 million and 850 thousand citizens only every eight person has a job. On every available working places there are 350 people applying. The average salary in the first six months in FBIH was 325 EUR and 304 EUR in Republika Srpska. The average pension was 135 EUR in FBIH and 105 EUR in RS. At the same time, according to the report done by Confederation of Trade Unions of BIH a family of four needed 717 EUR a month for the very basic needs which makes 2, 5 monthly salaries of 5 monthly pensions to survive. It takes a miracle to survive and live trough a month in BIH for normal ordinary working people or as usual a “loan after loan” gymnastic which is one of the most common solutions for most of BH people. The high interest rate of 10% or more seems less difficult then to live out of salaries.

After serious and large number of discussions and attempts the Stabilisation and Association Agreement for BIH has finally been initialed in December 2007.

The most of official reports concerning the situation in BIH in 2007 underline the fact that this was the most difficult political year after the war. The increaseemnt of nationalistic attitudes among the BH politicians tensed everyday life and fundamentalist statements in the papers and generally in media resulted with lack of any positive development in social and economical aspect. This could very easy be seen in the working life and among the working population too.

However CTUBIH in 2007 managed to significally increase its membership and at the same time to double its membership fees. This is clear result of intensified project activities.

_______

*BIH Agency for statistics of BIH/No 8 14 December 2007

Chapter 2

COMMERCE TRADE UNION

THE ACTIVITIES

ORGANIZING MISSIONS

CTUBIH organized its first multinational trade chain

In its organizing work CTUBIH very much relies on the general faith of the workers. The overall situation in the country leaves no much space for the positive attitude and optimism. However intensified support and solidarity from the friends that CTUBIH has in HK Norge made this task less difficult. In the very beginning of the year CTUBIH met all its board’s members in all cantons as well as with the representatives of the Commerce Trade Union of RS (STUD RS) trying to make a framework for the both organizing and educational activities in this year. The agreement has been made to put focus on organizing in large commerce chains where until now it was almost impossible even to enter as union representatives.

The continued support for the next two years (2007-2008) by HK Norge and PAM Finland gave enough hope that work in this respect can be successful. The very first activities started in Tuzla region as well as with the big commerce chain VF Commerce employing close to 800 employees. Thanks to the support of HK Region Agder og Rogoland the project to straighten and develop the union activities in Tuzla was designed focusing on this particular type of organizing and aiming to get more youth and women’s activities in placed in wider Tuzla region. At the same time organizing in chains asks for constant travel. HK Norge and FLT Norge support in new car to be used for organizing missions was therefore important precondition for the more aggressive and wider approach.

After two years of constant trying to get the permission by the employer of VF Commerce finally the organizing mission could started at the beginning of this year. In the first four months all stores and supermarkets of company VF Commerce were visited by CTUBIH team where meetings with all employees twice a day (one for each shift) were organized. On these meetings the ideas, approaches and principles of CTUBIH were explained and introduced. The information material as well as all organizing documents were distributed and collected in between. When campaign was almost finished the company itself has been soled to the big chain from Croatia namely KONZUM. This is the reason why the round meeting had to be organized once again in order to explain the workers new conditions as well as how the union will function with the new management. Ever since the end of the war, CTUBiH has been facing constant invasions on membership by PPDIVUT (The Union of Agricultural Workers) which, depending on its field of interests, widens that field by simply adding new letters to its acronym. CTUBIH did not pay much attention to those threats and they were understood as an additional motivation and challenge to become even better. We have organized and represented our members in a way we were taught by our colleagues from the democratic unions in Europe- in a mind-opened way, based on a voluntary choice and services and activities we are able to provide our members with. For more than ten years now, thanks to an ample support of our colleague unions form Europe, we have been in power to maintain the promised quality of services and activities.

However, the method used by PPDIVUT can by no means be characterized as fair competition for members. To constant pressures we have been reacting by means of dialogue and sometimes even following the line of least resistance, exactly because the only priority we have always had was to keep our members at their working places.

After completing the organizing process in VF (KONZUM now) PPDIVUT started with their well known missions of “steeling the members” This created lot of confusion among the workers themselves and for CTUBIH this was another problem to be solved. We invested lot of efforts first to go once again to each and every worker and explain them the situation they were facing together with us. We also after lot of initiatives managed to reach the employer and after very successful meeting with Mr. Mat Greganić, Head of Human Resources Department of KONZUM INT. CTUBIH finally won its first but very important battle. The management of the company recognized CTUBIH as legitimate and legal representative of the workers and has been accepted in written as social partner.

However, the initiatives of PPDIVUT were not stopped by this and representatives of this so called union, which operates only with employers, still uses all kind of methods to discredit CTUBIH presence in KONZUM like giving the “transfer bonus” of 50 KM to all those members who leave CTUBIH and register in PPDIVUT or giving the financial bonuses for buying school books to those who change their membership etc. It is clear that CTUBIH cannot compete under this condition. Also even if we would have the equal recourses as PPDIVUT we would never operate on these conditions since this is not trade unionism of modern global union movement and CTUBIH is proud of the fact that offers the services to its members, collective agreements, social partnership with their employers but will never “buy” its members with anything except the activities and services. This was the message sent to members in KONZUM too.

Today CTUBIH has 593 members in KONZUM organized in 13 groups. CTUBIH is also the only union in BIH today that has its membership in both entities. By organizing the workers of KONZUM in Prijedor and TEslić, CTUBIH become the only union but also the only organization that crossed the entity borders also formally and legally. On the meeting of KONZUM CTUBIH local in November 2007 the first legal and formal cross entity body was established. Izeta Nurkić from Gračanica, Tuzla canton has been elected for Head of CTUBIH KONZUM and GOran Vujičić, from PRIJEDOR, RS as Vice President of the local. CTUBIH offered also a seat in the Executive Committee to Goran and he accepted the active engagement in the decision making bodies of CTUBIH.

Besides the clear victory I the field of trade union organizing, by this CTUBIH won also very important political battle and contributed to the positive political development of the country in general.

The organizing work in KONZUM however continues. With the development of the company CTUBIH develop its structure in western Herzegovina region. This is also very important political region for CTUBIH covering mainly Croat population.

CTUBIH drafted the Collective Agreement for KONZUM and it was proposed to the management. The negotiation process will start in spring 2008

FIET office Sarajevo thanks to the support from HK region Agder og Rogoland organized a summer organizing campaign in bigger towns of Tuzla region.

The campaign was unique in trade union movement by its design, its size and implementation. The name of the campaign was “Safe in my Waters!” and as a part of it more then 1000 summer hats with shark face were distributed in streets of Tuzla,Lukavac, Srebrenik and Kalesija. The implementation team was consisted of representatives from Sarajevo office, elected TU representatives in Tuzla region as well as representatives of Youth Section of CTUBIH. They were dressed up as Lions symbolically expressing the force and power of CTUBIH. The campaign took place during the week 29 which formally has been declared as the hottest in the last 50 years. Working in the extremely difficult weather conditions, dressed up as lions and distributing the hats with shark face the team members send the clear and well received the message of the preparedness of CTUBIH to protect their members both in “ground and water”. Together with this, team members distributed the information material of CTUBIH as well as other very attractive material such as balls, pens, sucks etc. As a part of the campaign a survey has been made in all big commerce chains in this canton where team members had to enter under cover and in secret. The results of the survey will be presented on the Conference on Organizing in autumn.

The campaign attracted lot of attention among the population in the towns where it has been implemented as well as among young people. It also drew the attention of media both printed and electronic and this very important result of improving the image of CTUBIH has already been achieved. The first quantitative results of the campaign as Nedžad Sejdinović, President of Cantonal Structure of CTUBIH has said could be expected late autumn but the quality of the campaign has been already proved by the great number of citizens, young workers in the supermarkets who approach the team members in the parking and on their way back asking for more information and expressing their admiration and positive surprise by this action that is unique in BIH today, especially in the TU movement.

This activity has been for a long time one of the aims of CTUBIH but only now thanks to the support and solidarity of friends from HK Region Agder og Rogoland this has been possible. With this campaign we tried to show the working population in Tuzla, especially to the young people that CTUBIH is modern, youth focused union, determined and capable to offer the service of both protecting their rights and promoting the new spirit of trade unionism.

As the first result of the organizing campaign “Safe in my water!” CTUBIH organized 30 workers of other int. commerce chain INTEREX. This French company for many years closed the doors for union activities. As the result of the material distributed during the campaign, 30 workers join CTBIH in secret. However we started the initiative to get the written memo for the management in France concerning the organizing in this company. The answer that came, was very polite but again not clear asking CTUBIH for more time until “interior problems with takeover by new regional management are solved” However we will continue to organize even in secret until we reach the majority of the working force which will gives us the legitimacy to start some other legal initiative and measures to ask for the recognition of the right to organize.

Active engagement in organizing the informal sector workers

At the same time CTUBIH continues with its activities in the informal sector. Organizing of the enormous population in this sector became the on going activities for our union. By signing the memo with the Minister of Commerce of FBIH, Mr.Desnica Radivojević concerning the joint efforts and initiatives in order to help the workers in this sector to work under the legal framework and to protect their right to work CTUBIH was officially recognized as their representative. This at the same time gave clear ground for CTUBIH strategically approach to the organizing in this sector. The collective agreement has been made and will in the near future be offered to the self employed workers in the opened markets for signing. This will beside its legal power bring the necessary discipline into the informal sector membership and hopefully install the system of regular monthly paying of the fees. By this we hope to solve the problem of “how to keep the members in this sector even when the problem is solved”

The experiences of CTUBIH when it comes to organizing and representing the members in the informal economy was basis for the initiative of ICTU project of the informal economy and trade union role in it. This project is focusing on particular sectors that have interest to organize me the sector in both trade union structures, in FBIH and RS. CTUBIH experience are being used as recourses for this project and its membership register system as a role model for organizing of the workers in the informal sector in the entire region. This has been another very important recognition of CTUBIH efforts.

The significant encreasement of membership fees is partly result of the contribution from the membership in this sector who are already known as bad payers and “problem payers”, members who usually turn to the union when there is problem to be solved which at the same time clearly shows the level of CTUBIH engagement in this sector in 2007.

The present level of the membership is 7230. Out of this number 4343 are paying members. The annual income of the union in 2007 was 64.285,00 KM which is still far from sufficient recourses for every day work especially with the recent prices development and increased taxes and living expenses but the incraesment in 2007 clearly shows that project support and intensified activities in organizing and also in training brings the results. The following charts proved this statement and are the best evidence of the success of the project but even more they proved that global movement is able to improve its values and to develop even further.

Membership fee development for the period 2001-2007

Regularly (every month) paying membership by cantons

EDUCATION AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES

The success of LMTU Project conducted in cooperation with HUMAK and PAM Finland in 2005-2006 was basis for upgraded and advanced training project with similar content. Developing and Evaluating TU (DETU) is new two year project focusing on the elected trade union representatives with aim to support the development of CTUBIH as strategy based union. The first seminar was held in Sarajevo in April where the first framework of the project has been presented and group of the participants was selected.

In 2007 there were implemented all together three seminars as part of this training program. As a part of PAM activities in 2007. Women’s Section of CTUBIH organized its annual conference in Sarajevo, 03-04 November .The conference at the same time celebrated 10 years anniversary from the first Women’s seminar in Hungary 1997. Beside sits celebration part it also focused on gaining knowledge about some of the top issues in the working life of women in BIH today as well as on developing skills on evaluation as the basis for the future planning. This was unique women’s conference in the trade union movement in BIH because it gathered also men colleagues from CTUBIH.

The conference dedicated one session to a solidarity work of women in BIH. The issue discussed was the struggle of E Land workers in Korea. Women’s section asked CTUBIH to donate in their behalf the amount that was given by the Executive Committee of CTUBIH as the Anniversary Present.

The conference besides members of the Women’s section and elected trade union leaders from all cantons gathered also colleagues from PAM, SASK and HUMAK Finland, representative of ICTU office Sarajevo, the representatives of the Youth Section of CTUBIH and the Gender Center BIH.

Similar training initiative has been launched in cooperation with Handel Sweden, Sandswall region. The two year project has been designed, discussed and the final proposal has been sent to Olaf Palme Foundation after whose approval this project will be implemented with the selected group of 30 women from all parts of BIH, from both commerce unions and focused on Goražde (Eastern BIH) region.

As a part of the Development project for Tuzla region, CTUBIH organized a seminar for elected TU representatives of KONZUM in May. The seminar gathered 20 elected representative, one from each store including two stores from Republika Srpska: Prijedor and Teslić. In behalf of the management of the company, Mr. Dragoslav Jovanović, head of the Tuzla region was present informing about future plans and basic principles of the new Croatian management of this company. He also answered the entire question concerning salaries, working condition and working contracts by the participants.

The seminar focused on future structure of trade union local, organizing issues as well as concrete plans of STBIH when it comes to commerce chains in BIH. The participants were provided with all material they will need in their future union work such as union documents, membership register etc.

They were also introduced to the Project activities and informed about the solidarity work of our friends in Handel og Kontor I Norge

During 2007 and with the support of this HK region CTUBIH had two more meetings of KONZUM local executive mentioned above.

Violence on women at work is present in all societies. According to the World Health Asociation between 10 and 50% women have experienced some kind of violence at work. Risk is present in all professions not only in male dominated working places.

Due to the incresing treat of violence against women in commerce sector in BIH, Women’s section of CTUBIH organized the seminar focusing on this particular issue.Seminar was held in Tuzla 12-13 November and as a part of HK Solidarity Project for BIH. It gathered new membership gained trough the organizing project in Tuzla region supported by HK region Agder og Rogoland. Most of the participants came from two biggest comapnies OMEGA and KONZUM, two big commerce chains with stores in all parts of BIH.Besides them, the members of the Coordinattion Comittee of Women’s section were present together with quests and friends from HK headquater in OSlo and its regional representative from region Agder og Rogoland.

The violence as phenomenum was explained by DR. Jadranka Mikić, socialogist with whom Women’s section of CTUBIH have cooperated since 1998. The experience on this issue and how it has been aproached by union movement in Norway was shared by Mrs. Peggy Hessen Folsvik,2nd Vice President of HK Norge.

The participants worked also in the workshop and designed the priority plan as well as the Action plan that hopefully will be posibille to implement in 2008 with the support from friends in HK Norge.

Organizing is the constant priority for union movement in the commerce sector in BiH. Present economical enviroment in BIH does not give much posibillities for succesiful organizing. The real multinational retailers that operate the neighbouring countries still didn’t come to BIH market but existing local commerce chains give lot of material for concerns and ask for strategic aproach to the issue of organizing. Therefore, FIET Solidarity project for BIH organized with the support of HK region Agder og Rogoland a Joint Organizing conference focusing on multinatioanl commerce companies.

Conference was held in Tuzla 14-15 NOvember and it gathered the elected trade union leaders from the regions of CTUBIH and STUDRS together with friends from HK Norge. The aim of the conference was to make the analisys of the present organizing work of two unions, to gather new skills and knowledge based on the experience of the organizers in Hk Norge and to design a new startegic aproach to organizing issues with the focus on the level of BIH.

Besides the activities mentioned above that marked this year as very active and productive in the sphere of the activities, CTUBIH however still uses every opportunity to arrange a small scale course for smaller groups that is still the most appropriate way of training mostly due to the working time and lack of the free time of our members. Thanks to the organizing efforts as well as these kind of trainings and small scale courses and seminars supported by HK region Agder og Rogoland, CTUBIH managed to reanimate one of its old locals that for a long time existed in the CTUBIH register but did not pay their fees for number of years. CTUBIH organized number of meetings and small scale courses for the workers of the company OMEGA, Tuzla and by this reanimate their membership and took a step forward too by organizing active women’s network in the company. Today in this company CTUBIH has 150 members. The company will very soon go under the large aquizition process by which CTUBIH hope to be able to go into MERKATOR as one of the biggest regional trade chain.

INFORMATION

In order to improve our information work, the Project updated and modernized its web page at the beginning of the year. We also change our mail account in order to have faster access to the internet and to be able to update our page more regularly.

However, the majority of our members still cannot easily and on every day basis use the on line information. Therefore the support that project got form FLT Norge in computer equipment as well as the support from HK region Mid Norge in the new copy machine improve very much the information work of CTUBIH and the project. The reports and news regularly go from the main office towards all locals and all trade union representatives. For the needs of the Organizing campaign the project printed out the flyers with information concerning CTUBIH services to the members and how to join as well as questionnaires for the need of the research conducted during the campaign. The results of the research were presented on the conference on organizing in multinational companies and were the basic foundation for future organizing priorities. The research clearly showed that CTUBIH is far in front of all other unions when it comes to the organizing initiatives and the services to the member’s altough trade union movement in general were valued poorly. The research also showed that young people are very much afraid for their jobs when they have them. Majority of them however lost any hopes that progress in BIH is possible due to the high unemployment rate and poor living conditions.

As a part of HK regional project for Tuzla an issue of SuGlas, CTUBIH magazine was printed at the end of 2007. This was first issue after the Congress issue printed in April 2005. and therefore extremely important for the general information work of the project. As so far this issue is going again to be used also as organizing tools in the future organizing missions.

CTUBIH is very much aware that trends in commerce develop very far. The unions also have to adopt their activities to that if they expect to be respectable in their own fields of work. Therefore CTUBIH organized a Holiday Campaign at the end of 2007. The campaign consisted of printed announcements in the media as well as on number of billboards in Sarajevo in which we invited our members as well as all citizens to buy in the stores where CTUBIH was allowed organizing. By this initiative we wanted to give some credit to those employers who recognized CTUBIH and also to show that we can equally participate in the development of the companies. The action was highly appreciated by the management of the companies concerned as well as by our members working in these companies but more importantly this activities has been recognized as the most effective and modern initiative of the trade union movement in BIH in 2007. The pole was published on the web site of the Confederation of Trade Unions of BIH. For this campaign CTUBIH use its own recourses instead of printing out the calendars and holiday cards.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

The cooperation with the Commerce trade unions of RS was always one of the main priorities for CTUBIH. The decreesement of the joint activities and downsizing of the project activities in smaller BH entity had bad influence to so far good communication between the two unions. Therefore the initiative of HK Norge for some joint activities in this year was in favor of intensified joint work of the two unions. The study visit to Norway in February beside its education impact and exchange of the experience when it comes to the collective negotiation, improve the cooperation between the two unions. This was also very important step forward in the union activities comparing to the general political situation in BIH. The support of HK region Ost for the trade union structure in RS will therefore have big importance also for the development of CTUBIH. In 2007 the new equipment was provided for the normal functioning of the office of The Commerce Trade Union of RS in Laktashi. Several activities such as negotiation meetings and meeting of the Executive Committee of STUDRS were scheduled for November and December 2007 but were not implemented due to the illness of Goran Savanović, president of STUDRS.

Top Commerce TU Leaders from both entity of BIH with the support of their friends from HK Norway, took a stand to jointly answer the needs of commerce workers in BIH on the Joint Conference in Tuzla, November 2007. In the year that was officially declared as the most difficult political year after the war this activity was a bright example of joint efforts for the prosperity of BIH.

The Project in Zenica continued to focus on the activities of the Interet café in this year.This part of Zenica project remains to be one of the most frequent points. Although moved to the new, smaller facilities, the project office remains to be one of the most famious places in Zenica where youngsters still for free can use internet.

Zenica together with Sarajevo office hosted UNI Youth Steering group members for their meeting in June. This meeting gave the opportunity also for young trade union members from the neigbouring countries such as Croatia and partner unions from finance and commerce sector to jointly take part in the international youth activities.

The project also was present on the meeting of the Nordic Committee in Dubrovnik in June. This was once again a good chance to present the project work and also to express the gratitude of all union members who have participated in the project activities so far for the solidarity and support offered by the friends in the Nordic trade unions. CTUBIH representatives also had several other opportunities to exchange their experiences and ideas with their friends in HK Norge also during the Staff Conference in Sanner and the Summer Negotiation meeting of Hk Norge and SAMFO. These meetings once again gave new strainght and input for the success of CTUBIH development process. The union aims on developing to the level of normal European trade union capable of participating in the global union activities and developments. Therefore, support for CTUBIH participation in UNI EUROPE Commerce Conference in Geneva in November 2007 has also very important part in the general project activities in the last year.