Bajramović: Today's protests in Tuzla were orchestrated by politics

Ismet Bajramović, president of the Union of Independent Trade Unions of BiH, believes that today's failed protests in Tuzla were orchestrated by politics, in order to achieve political goals at a time when the elections in BiH are approaching, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

The Solidarity Union announced mass protests of workers in Tuzla today, but only a few hundred workers gathered in Freedom Square, who dispersed quickly.

Bajramović told the Patria agency that he supports the demands of all workers fighting for higher wages, linking of service records, and stronger workers' rights. However, these demands, he says, can only be met if they are sought through organized systems, agreed upon at the highest union levels, and if thousands of workers come before the authorities.

Any other way of trying to achieve workers' rights, independently, without the support of the entire system, Bajramović says, devalues both workers and the union.

- The Union of Independent Trade Unions of BiH, as the oldest and strongest trade union organization in BiH, was not consulted regarding today's protests in Tuzla – Bajramović said, Patria writes.