Federal Minister of Trade Amir Hasičević said at the Congress of Trade Unions of Trade and Service Industries of BiH that the introduction of non-working Sundays and non-working holidays is one of the greatest achievements of the past period, stressing that this right is not the result of chance, but the persistent and consistent struggle of workers, unions and the Federal Ministry of Trade.
“With joint forces, we fought for a non-working Sunday, both the Union, the Ministry, and employers, and consumers. A non-working Sunday is not a privilege, it is a right! We won this together, we will defend it together. And we will not stop there, we will continue the fight for workers’ rights, for better working conditions and higher wages, and no one will stop us from that,” said Minister Hasičević.
He rejected the claims that the ban on working on Sundays had a negative impact on the trade sector, stating that analyzes show the opposite – trade in the Federation records growth and stability.
“They said that thousands of workers would lose their jobs, that the budget would weaken and that turnover would flow to another entity, but that did not happen. On the contrary, turnover in trade increased by almost 10 billion BAM in the first eight months, traders are hiring new workers, and with official data we refute critics every day. Trade does not fail when a worker rests, but when a worker burns out at work,” Hasičević pointed out, the Federal Ministry of Trade announced.
The minister said that the dignity of workers and their rights are the foundation of every fair and stable economy.
“There is no profit that can be more important than a mother spending Sunday with her children, a father having lunch with his family on Sundays. A day with the family and the dignity of workers have no price,” he emphasized.
Hasičević added that the Federal Ministry of Trade, together with the Trade Union, will continue to work on strengthening workers’ rights, fair wages, secure contracts and better working conditions, saying that the state must be a partner to the worker, not a silent observer.
The President of the Trade Union, Mersiha Beširović, reminded that the trade unionists’ long-standing commitment to fight for the right to have a day off on Sundays and holidays, like most other sectors. She also reminded that after 20 years of struggle and attempts, they only now got the opportunity to realize this right. She thanked for the support of everyone who contributed to the voice of the workers in the store being heard clearly today.
“Now we have confirmation that our struggle was not in vain and that there is hope for a better and fairer society when the right people, people with knowledge and understanding are in the right positions,” said Beširović.
