SITE FILES
     
 
ROUND TABLE ON THE OCCASION OF THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF UBU “NEZAVISNOST”: “A VIEW BACKWARD – A VIEW FORWARD”

“BETTER WORK THAN WAR”




Belgrade, November 23, 2006
“Better work than war” was one of the first slogans of the UBU “Nezavisnost”, when it was founded 15 years ago, it has been heard at the very beginning of the discussion at the “round table” titled “A view backward – a view forward”, held on November 23, 2006 in the International Press Center in Belgrade, organized by UBU “Nezavisnost” and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation. By this “round table”, in which foreign guests, members of the Presidency, representatives of the Women’s Section and Youth Section of UBU “Nezavisnost” took part, the VI Congress of UBU “Nezavisnost” practically commenced, which will be held tomorrow and the day after tomorrow in the big auditorium of “Sava Centar” in Belgrade.

Besides Branislav Canak, President of UBU “Nezavisnost”, the following guests from abroad participated in the work of the “round table”: Peter Seidenek, moderator of this “round table”, then Krastyo Petkov, Grigor Gradev, Frank Hantke, Jean-Francois Trogrlic, Jim Baker and Zvonimir Hrabar, former President of Yugoslav Trade Union, reminded all the participants of the SFRY period and the role of Unions in that period and in those conditions. With concerned and attentive look of “elder brother” – the Central Committee and the sole thought of introducing pluralism in the Union, was a heresy.

Branislav Canak has spoken about that period viewed from the standpoint of “Nezavisnost” Union founding, which originated as unavoidable and the impossibility to reform old union structures, but one had to start from the “beginning”. He said that traditionalism was mostly present in Serbia then, and that it is present today, so that the sole act of forming a new union was more difficult. Milosevic’s “bestial dictatorship” supported, in a certain way, the emergence of a new Union in Serbia, because the workers had only two choices then: to serve the authorities or serve themselves?! The departure of Ante Markovic’s reforming government from the political scene of that time and the beginning of the war, was speeded up by this process. In those “gloomy times” the Union of Serbian Radio and Television was first founded 15 years ago, and then the Union of the Media, and after that the UBU “Nezavisnost”. We paid a high price for this, because they declared us to be “bad Serbs”, traitors … The reason why the old union structures in Serbia were not reformed, was in the fact that they were not aware of the time they lived in, and they did not catch “the first and only train” to the future.

Krastyo Petkov thinks that it is essential for Unions in the Balkans, in the transition period, not only to criticize the governments, but to take part in the reforms themselves, in such a way as to propose specific solutions themselves.

Jim Baker was a witness of the time when “Nezavisnost” was founded in the 90-ties. According to his words, “there is neither union without democracy nor democracy without union”.

Jean-Francois Trogrlic referred to the period when UBU “Nezavisnost” was founded, as people’s aspiration and striving in these territories to follow neither the model of USSR nor the Western model, but something third – the story of self-management and non-alignment. The appearance of “Nezavisnost” Union at the beginning of the civil war in these territories, the people in France saw as a “light in a tunnel”.

Frank Hantke called the attention of all present to social dialogue in Serbia. He said that after some time spent in our country, he understood that real social dialogue did not exist in Serbia, but only the exchange of opinions in the Balkan barrooms and cafés!? No one “listens” to Unions in Serbia nowadays and they are becoming weaker. The basic reason for this situation is a real balance of force and power among Unions, Government and Employer. The thing that should be the orientation for future union actions in Serbia and the presumption of real social dialogue is a strong membership and a thorough knowledge, according to his words.

Grigor Gradev thinks that one should devote more attention to regional union cooperation in the future.

 
     
 
 
 
 
Home About us Membership International Cooperation The media columnr Legal protection Forum Contacts
Copyright © Industrijski sindikat
designed by Canatlantic