Brussels, 5 December 2006 (ITUC OnLine): Dafina Mehaj, aged 31, is the international relations officer of the BSPK (1), the Free Trade Union Confederation of Kosovo, affiliated to the ITUC. This region has been under United Nations administration since the war ended 7 years ago. The highly precarious economic situation continues to affect trade union activity. The BSPK is working to renew solidarity between the workers of Kosovo, including those from the Serb minority.
How is the current economic situation in Kosovo?
We are still suffering the consequences of the war. Although an average size family needs at least 450 euros a month to survive, the minimum wage is only 120 euros, and the average wage 220 euros. Approximately 600,000 Kosovars live abroad; some of them help their families by send money, but 12% of the population in Kosovo still lives in absolute poverty, without any income other than the 65 euros a month in social assistance.
What are the main challenges facing the BSPK?
Our number one priority is the fight for jobs, as the unemployment rate in Kosovo is at least 45%. A huge proportion of men and women work in the informal economy. This is the result of the economic transition: many workers are losing their jobs due to the privatisation of public enterprises. Many firms also suffered damages during the war. More investors are needed to revive our industry, but they are wary about investing in a country like Kosovo, whose political status has not yet been determined.
Another trade union priority is the application of collective bargaining agreements. The main agreement for the moment is the national agreement, signed in 2004, but it hasn’t yet been fully applied. The government claims that its budget would come under too much pressure if it implemented the agreement, which establishes an increase in maternity leave from three to six months, automatic annual pay increases, etc. At company level, there are very few collective bargaining agreements, as the privatisation process is underway and there is still a great deal of uncertainty as regards the future of companies.
What is the composition of the BSPK?
The BSPK has 120,000 members within 18 federations. Only 50,000 members pay their affiliation fees at the moment because thousands of workers are no longer receiving their wages as a result of the privatisations process.
After the atrocities committed during the war between Serbs and Albanian speaking Kosovars, how are the relations between workers from the two communities?
We all sit down together without any problem. Of course, it’s not easy to forget what happened, but whilst in the past we only met with trade unionists from the other community when events were organised by international organisations, nowadays, we meet them on our own initiative and are very open in our discussions. We’re not going to resolve everything overnight, but just the fact that we are talking is positive. Kosovo is small, there is not enough room for such divisions.
Is the BSPK carrying out initiatives in favour of workers from the Serb minority?
We consider them citizens of Kosovo like everybody else. We are trying to integrate them within the BSPK, but some prefer to remain members of the trade unions based in Belgrade. The European Agency for Reconstruction in Kosovo has allocated funding to the BSPK, with which we will be able to open offices in 2007 in the part of Kosovo populated mainly by Serbs, the aim being to better integrate them within the BSPK. We want to reach out to them, like all the other communities in Kosovo, and offer them services to arouse their interest in the BSPK.
We are often in contact with the unions based in Belgrade, such as Nezavisnost. In 2005, for example, trade union experts from the whole region, including from Nezavisnost, were invited to take part in a project funded by the Dutch union FNV, aimed at strengthening the structures of the BSPK.
Organising young people and women are two of the ITUC’s priorities at global level. How is this going in Kosovo?
Not many young people are interested in trade unionism, but we are trying to attract them by organising training, seminars, campaigns, and so on. Unfortunately, our budget is very low, making it very difficult to fund such activities, so we take advantage of the events organised by the ILO or the ITUC: whenever they organise some activity or another, we try to set up a fringe seminar for young people. Involving young workers in the BSPK is important, because they want to see things evolve, to change certain ways of working that are based on old trade union traditions. They want the entire trade union movement of Kosovo to be brought up to date with the current situation. The BSPK has a youth network which has organised media and leafleting campaigns on the protection of young workers. A trade union federation of police officers has just been formed, which has contributed to bringing down the average age of the BSPK’s membership, given that most of Kosovo’s police officers are young people.
As regards women workers, the BSPK has set up a network of women trade unionists. They take part in regional seminars on strengthening the role of women in the trade union movement and organise various campaigns on issues such as maternity rights, etc. The network is also fighting for greater female representation within trade union leadership structures (all the federations affiliated to the BSPK are presided by men).
Is the BSPK working to defend informal economy workers?
We were the first to get involved in the informal economy in Kosovo. Last year, we organised a conference on the subject with the help of the ICFTU and the ILO, and invited representatives of the government and various institutions. A report was published following the conference. It was the first time that issues related to the informal economy were raised at national level. The debate has now been opened, and we hope it will help the authorities to build a better understanding of the problems faced by informal economy workers.
What do you think about the creation of the ITUC?
The fact that two major international union confederations like the WCL and the ICFTU should merge and unite with others strengthens the international trade union movement, so it’s a very positive move. We only hope, however, that despite its global dimension, the ITUC will not leave small countries like Kosovo aside, but will continue to promote regional cooperation between the trade unions in the Balkans.
How did you get involved in the trade union movement?
I had started to study English language and literature in 1996. Then the war broke out in Kosovo and I had to cut short my studies in 1999. For three months, I travelled with my parents and two of my sisters in search of refuge in Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia, to flee the fighting. Following the signing of the peace agreements in June 1999, I worked for humanitarian organisations in Kosovo and was then given an opportunity to join the BSPK in 2004. In the beginning, I intended to just try it out because I wasn’t sure whether I would like the job, but I ended up really appreciating the work of the trade union. I realised that there are a huge amount of people in the trade union movement who are truly concerned about the workers. Then came the capacity building projects financed by foreign trade unions, aimed at strengthening the BSPK’s capabilities. I have met trade unionists from the all over the world, specialists from the ICFTU, then the ITUC, and it’s all very motivating.
Interview by Samuel Grumiau
(1) Bashkimi i Sindikatave te Pavarura te Kosoves
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