Networking with the Bosnian Trade Union Confederation SSSBiH and the Austrian Trade Union Youth

The visit kicked off on 24 April with a first get-together with ÖGJ participants from various Austrian federal states. The LRDR project was presented and initial conversations about potential future collaboration were held.

25 April was dedicated entirely to the Bosnian trade union confederation, the Savez Samostalnih Sindikata Bosne i Hercegovine (SSSBiH). The day began with a meeting with Emra Sadiković, the LRDR project coordinator on the SSSBiH side. This was followed by a joint meeting with Samir Kurtović, President of the SSSBiH, and Kenan Poljak, International Secretary. Kurtović provided a detailed overview of the confederation's work and structure — its organisational setup, goals, achievements to date, and strategic priorities for the years ahead. Particular emphasis was placed on the union's central role in protecting workers' rights and improving working conditions.

The subsequent conversation with Emra Sadiković explored the concrete challenges facing trade unions in Bosnia and Herzegovina: issues such as labour migration, collective bargaining and the digitalisation of work — as well as one particularly persistent structural difficulty: reaching young people. Engaging young workers and inspiring them to get involved in union activities remains one of the most pressing open questions for the SSSBiH and the broader labour movement alike.

There was also strong interest from the Austrian side in the institutional framework of labour law protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina — including how the different cantonal levels of government interact, and how labour law translates into everyday practice on the ground.

Throughout, the meetings took place in a warm and constructive atmosphere. On both sides, there is a clear commitment to deepening the collaboration — through joint projects, the exchange of knowledge and experience, and a lived sense of international trade union solidarity.