SITE FILES
     
 
THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF TRADE UNION’S WEB PORTAL
WWW.GSMNEZAVISNOST.ORG.YU

THE SPACE IS EXPANDING – AND SO ARE WE




Belgrade, November 11, 2007
A new unionist form of informing and two-way communications, promoted by the MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ a year ago, with originally conceptualized web portal in Serbian and English language, became an example of European mode of two-way communication of trade union with members and the public, with other trade union headquarters in Serbia and neighboring countries in the Region, which are, unfortunately, lagging behind to a great extent in this respect. The Serbian version of web portal www.gsmnezavisnost.org.yu started on October 9, 2006 and the English version started on October 27, 2006. In a period of one year the web site was visited by over 42.000 visitors from our country and abroad. The site of MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ is permanently served by four colleagues with periodical participation of other unionists, regional correspondents and with programmer support of ‘’Canatlantic.’’

THE SITE IS NOT A TOY OF A CLOSE CIRCLE OF UNIONISTS

When they asked an old professor how to make life more interesting, he answered: ‘’Fall in love with a beautiful woman or try to solve a big unsolved problem.’’ The creative team of web portal of MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ decided to do the second thing a year ago. Firstly, it defined in the project task the thing that wasn’t the target of the web site: ’’The site is not a privilege of a small number of people, an amusement of a close circle of unionists, an elitist form of promotion, unionist extravagance, subject matter intended for ‘’one hundred people’’ in Serbia and ‘’fifty people’’ abroad, it isn’t a financial justification for the money of ‘’unionist sponsors’’ that was spent, it isn’t anybody’s toy, an object of defame and laughingstock…. ‘’ The creative team set high targets for itself, as to what kind of site MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ should be: ‘’union media (radio, newspapers, TV), intended for as larger number of users as possible, union’s ‘’window into the world’’, through which the world comes to us … where we see and hear it, place of reciprocal (common) education and informing, tool for lobbying our union, popularization of our union, friendships, entertainment, exchange of opinions. The site must have a ‘’human appearance and spirit’’, people have to believe in our site, to appreciate and like it, send news, so that the whole world sympathizes with problems, successes, pain and sorrow of Serbian workers, through our site, that, by means of the site – MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ would become a ‘’modern’’, Pro-European Union and an example for other unions in Europe. We understood that creativity was the only chance of unions from small countries to obtain a high position on the global union scene. In this way, our union’s creative age began.

TRADE UNIONS WILL SAVE THE WORLD

While Dostojevski claimed a long time ago that ‘’Beauty would save the world’’, we in MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ were convinced a year ago that ‘’TRADE UNIONS WOULD SAVE THE WORLD.’’ We were convinced that the MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ was much nicer than it looked like and that our mission was to present it to membership and the world as a ‘’Wonderful Union’’. For us from the Website creative team it was a job a year ago: ‘’Nothing or everything’’. We wanted, overnight, to forget our past, ‘’skip’’ the present and proceed straight into the future. We prepared ourselves for this project patiently, for almost one year. At that time no trade union in Serbia was, as the MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’, a UNION OF IDEAS. We applied an up-to-date concept of communication. I (dea) with added creativity: the most ‘’colorless’’ union activity can shine with full splendor, D (iscovery): ideas are everywhere around us, E (motion): it can be felt best with one’s ‘’heart’’ (like in a fairy tale ‘’Little Prince’’), A (chievement): nothing is realized until dreamed about earlier, S (atisfaction): satisfied union members, employers, employees, the public.

There is no idea, whatever it seemed at first sight, from which we turned our heads immediately. On the contrary, we estimated its latent value and possible impact on the site users. ‘’Crazy cow’’ appeared first in advertisings and only then in real life. Also, the MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ had its ‘’crazy cows’’ on the site, such as for example, the poster ‘’WANTED – Predrag Rankovic-Peconi’’ and many other subject matter.

TRADE UNION, BAKER’S SHOP, CLUB, WEIGHTLIFTING ROOM

Those uninformed think that there is a baker’s shop within the MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ in Nusiceva Street, because one works there every day until late at night. The space is active, and so are we in our union. Some people think it is a club. Working hours, professions and ideas are becoming mixed in our union all the time. An old story: the best trade union does not look like a union at all. In the world with too much information it can be remembered best when felt. It can be felt best both in life and the MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost.’’

A creative union requires creative unionists too, whose creativity is multimedia. Those are people who feel, think, responsible and sometimes they feel a need to play like children (homo ludens). Creative unionists tell stories in a multimedia way. A unionist job causes much stress and necessarily requires periodical mental relaxation. We in Serbia often say: ‘’Hard work – a great joy’’.

However, we were aware that for a new creative job on the Website, new education was necessary, which we didn’t have until then. We engaged colleagues with expert knowledge and skills, outside Belgrade. It’s an example of de-metropolization. But, a major part of our senior unionists didn’t want to learn and take part in the Website. Moreover, they were unconsciously ‘’killers’’ of ideas. Thanks to young president of MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’, a man of great intuition, the last Samurai of the legendary Pro-European unionist spirit in Serbia, the opponents of Website of MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ withdrew into “shells.” There was strong resistance from other representative unions too and wealthy but narcissistic Foundations in Serbia. We accepted the reality: “It’s better to be first than the greatest”. Unfortunately, we were going ahead of our time. For this reason, we have often been misunderstood and criticized without any reason. We consoled ourselves, believing in the slogan: “Don’t believe a union that repeats nice stories about itself loudly and constantly. Look at its site, and as in a mirror you’ll see what this unionist organization is actually like.”

WEBSITE IN FIGURES

At the beginning, in October 2006, the site had about 500 visitors, and today it has over 4.000 visitors. The Website of MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’, although it has been active for only one year, it was praised by many people, received proposals and suggestions, obligating us to continue our work. In this way, the MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ reconfirms the slogan with which it entered the Viability Project of the mostly read unionist site in Southeast Europe: “Knowledge costs, but ignorance even more”. The site visitors confirm this best, and every day a circle of trust and friendship expands, not only in Serbia, where we have about 20% visitors, but on the whole planet where our site has been read by approx. 80% visitors.

This result is important for MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’, viewed from several aspects. We wanted to have the best unionist site and we have it now! We worked it out with our own idea and own staff. The site has pronounced informative-educational features and is updated bilingually. It is a modern, digital medium, by means of which MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ achieves its program and unionist goals. Relatively moderate results in the domestic area are primarily the reason of “superficial and poor regional trustee missionary role” in this very important domain of activity of MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’.

THERE WOULDN’T BE MICHELANGELO WITHOUT THE MEDICI

While everyone speaks about trade union, the unionists usually speak about the money. The site of MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ as all “living organisms in nature”, has its natural and financial partners, primarily, CCOO Foundation – Fundacio Pau i Solidaritat from Catalonia. Partners are all those who visit, read the site and send supplements, photos, well-intentioned remarks and suggestions…The other ones object to trivial things, so as to minimize our success in any way, as for example: from the screen color or even sudden transparency in the activities of MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ with which some individuals become angry.

Why do some of our colleagues become angry?

Firstly, because some individuals in MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ have lost an exclusive right to ‘’Information’’, and thereby a possibility of selective manipulation with people. Secondly, if people are doing something in an organization – this appears immediately on the site without any problem. But, on the other hand, if someone does his job improperly for an organization, then there is no news on the site about his inactivity. This indicates their poor performance and represents an appraisal of their activities and work for MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’.

WHO IS THE THINKER OVER THERE?

Once upon a time the formula of a good marketing was “4P”: Price, Product (unionist activity), Promotion, Place. The future marketing has a new formula with the same name, ‘’4P’’: People, and people only – four times.

One of the most serious sins of the past time, the time of socialism, was the fear of creativity. Today, this wall has been torn down in Serbia. Progress, growth and development of an organization, such as MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ has no alternative. In other words, there is no more hiding: “One has a performance in front of an audience with raised curtain”. This is a big creative, staff’s and financial effort for MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’, but bearing in mind that the web portal www.gsmnezavisnost.org.yu is an INVESTMENT IN UNION’S FUTURE, we are ready to be persistent in this direction and on our way.

There is neither a good unionist site nor unionist brand without a high-quality unionist organization and “highly skilled staff”. For this reason, the Website of MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’, one year after, represents a victory of an ‘’HONEST AND CREATIVE TRADE UNION.’’

 
     
 
 
 
 
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