SARAJEVO SARAJEVO, Oct 25 (Hina) - About 20,000 workers on Monday staged a rally in the downtown Sarajevo protesting against difficult social and labour circumstances in Bosnia-Herzegovina and demanding a better employment policy as
well as prevention of the plunder of assets in the announced privatisation. The protest rally, held in a square in front of the building housing offices of Bosnia's joint authorities, was organised by the Association of Trade Unions of Bosnia-Herzegovina gathering mostly workers from the Bosnian Croat-Moslem Federation, populated mainly by Moslems (Bosniaks). Leaders of trade union branches from six federal cantons addressed the rally asking for higher salaries, payment of pension and heath insurance in arrears, better conditions at work, collective agreements and prevention of plunder of assets during the forthcoming privatisation. They accused the Bosnian ruling st
SARAJEVO, Oct 25 (Hina) - About 20,000 workers on Monday staged a
rally in the downtown Sarajevo protesting against difficult social
and labour circumstances in Bosnia-Herzegovina and demanding a
better employment policy as well as prevention of the plunder of
assets in the announced privatisation.
The protest rally, held in a square in front of the building housing
offices of Bosnia's joint authorities, was organised by the
Association of Trade Unions of Bosnia-Herzegovina gathering mostly
workers from the Bosnian Croat-Moslem Federation, populated mainly
by Moslems (Bosniaks).
Leaders of trade union branches from six federal cantons addressed
the rally asking for higher salaries, payment of pension and heath
insurance in arrears, better conditions at work, collective
agreements and prevention of plunder of assets during the
forthcoming privatisation.
They accused the Bosnian ruling structures for incapability and the
red type attitude toward workers' problems, war invalids and
retirees.
A representative of the trade unions association in the other
Bosnian entity, the Republic of Srpska, voiced support to this
rally. On behalf of the European Trade Unions Confederation, its
president Peter Seidnek addressed the gathered.
The Bosnian Unions Association's President, Sulejman Hrle, on the
Federation's Premier Edhem Bicakcic, to take part in the rally and
respond to workers' requests.
Bicakcic, however, refused, and forwarded a written answer saying
that he maintains that such protest rallies are not a good way of
solving problems.
Bicakcic claimed that the Unions Association, led by Hrle, had not
sent any concrete demand to the federal government this year. He
also wrote that the current legal regulations offered effective
mechanisms of the protection of the privatisation process from
abuse.
The traffic was discontinued in the centre of Sarajevo for about
three hours while the protest rally was being held. There were no
incidents during the event.
Sarajevo police had taken extensive security measures, but no
special police troops were deployed in Sarajevo streets.
(hina) ms