Success together with new challenges
As a part of the HK Project Straightening and developing the trade union structure in commerce sector in Tuzla region supported by HK region Agder og Rogoland, a seminar for TU representatives of VF/KONZUM Company was organized 30-31 May in Tešanj.
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
One of the most important issues discussed on the seminar was PPDIVUT’s initiative to destroy all the work done by STBIH. This old and very familiar enemy of STBIH, Agricultural union that left Confederation of Trade Unions of BIH and is at the moment developing its “yellow union” structures and making arrangement with owners and directors of the companies already started to operate in KONZUM.
The participants of the seminar reported about membership cards of PPDIVUT being distributed and fee deducted by managers of the stores. Mr.Jovanović express the stand of top management to support the will of workers and that it will not interfere in this problem. It is now on STBIH to find the way to once again fight this treat and defend its members. This seminar was important in the respect that all TU representatives from each store were present and got all info concerning this problem as well as instruction how to react in the future. STBIH will once again contact the owner of the company in Zagreb and ask for his written statement concerning this meter. STBIH will also engage some of the electronic media and put this issue in public and confront this kind of union work to the work done by STBIH in KONZUM.
The participants expressed their satisfaction with way of organizing conducted by STBIH so far. The meetings in all stores were organized in both shifts for all workers to get familiar with STBIH, the forms were distributed and upon their signing the cards were issued. But at the same time they expressed their fear that PPDIVUT membership is going to be forced by the directors of the stores who in this meter usually act as PPDIVUT representatives. This is the reason why STBIH is going to ask for the statement of the owner and involvement of media.
The conclusion of the seminar was that new gathering of the group is going to be organized in July when the formal Representing Body of TU Local KONZUM is going to be registered and elected.
This TU local is very important for STBIH, mainly because this is first multinational company organized in BIH, it exists in all parts of BIH and on this seminar membership application form were distributed in Republika Srpska. This is very important moment for STBIH since this is first organizing step in RS. This local is also unique by its size and this is first time that STBIH faces with organizing in chain like this. Therefore this is both success and challenge in all aspects: organizing, political and structural.
Thanks to the support and solidarity of our friends in Agder og Rogoland region we managed to organize this very important first seminar that establish the basics of union function in this chain.