Trade union organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina organized protest marches on the occasion of May 1, International Labor Day, with the message that we live in a time of great challenges for trade unions and labor rights and that workers are still waiting for systemic solutions.
The Union of Trade and Service Workers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (STBiH) and the Union of Metalworkers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina organized a May Day protest march in Sarajevo today, due to the difficult position they are in.
The FBiH metalworkers’ union demands an increase in the lowest net hourly wage in the Branch Collective Agreement for the metal sector from 4.40 to 5.68 BAM.
They also demand an urgent referral to the procedure and adoption of the Law on Minimum Wage, the Law on Contributions and the Law on Income Tax, which will significantly reduce tax liabilities and enable salary increases for all workers.
If the demands of the Union of Metalworkers are not met within a reasonable time, the Steering Committee of the Union of Metalworkers FBIH will consider and make a decision on further union activities, including the possibility of a general strike at the level of the metal industry in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The protest march of the Union of Metalworkers was attended by dozens of workers who, among other things, carried banners that read “Who will earn your pension tomorrow?”, “We want to live from work, not survive”, “We demand fair wages for a minimum of dignity”. ..
At the same time today, after 10 a.m., members of the Trade and Service Workers’ Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered in front of the building of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the protest march continued to the building of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The motto of the May Day March is “EU – Are we going, or is it over?”, and the Trade Union wants to draw attention to the difficult position of employees in this sector and to tell the authorities at all levels what they expect from them.
STBiH reminds that on March 21, 2024, BiH received the green light to start negotiations on membership in the European Union, and that this important moment was in focus in the past year, while other processes in the country were in the shadows.
STBiH says that it sees the future of BiH in the EU in such a way that it must mean a better life for the citizens of BiH and better working conditions for workers.
The union points out that the march, in addition to marking the most important workers’ holiday, is an opportunity to make clear demands towards all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also towards capital owners.
They sent clear requests to the BiH Council of Ministers in which they ask that the trade union must be a key factor in the process of accession.
STBIH also demands the formation of a commission at the BiH Parliament to monitor the process of negotiations and the inclusion of trade unions in that working body, insists on the transparency of negotiations and that accession negotiations cannot lead to a reduction in the level of any labor rights.
Important requirements for this level of government, they add, are the creation and publication of a national collective bargaining plan, according to which 80 percent of workers must be under a collective agreement in accordance with the EU Minimum Wage Directive.
STBiH, as they emphasize, seeks to harmonize the minimum wage with the cost of living, in accordance with EU directives.
In addition to the BiH Council of Ministers, STBIH sent a request to the Delegation of the European Union in Sarajevo with a request for support that through the accession negotiations, as a trade union, it should be involved in the process of harmonizing domestic legislation with EU directives, but also to do everything in order to harmonize entity laws and reduce differences in the rights and incomes of workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, BHRT writes.
photo: BHRT/Arijana Misimović Kurdija
