In Kosova, however, the trade unions have organized to block the sell-off of mines and other resources. "As a democratic trade union, we don't accept colonialism," said Agim Hajrizi, president of the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Kosova. "The transformation of property is possible only after a political solution. It can only be sold by the legal government of Kosova." The privatization drive has not been successful, he said, for different reasons. "First, because of the war - it doesn't create good conditions for bringing in capital. Another factor was the union protests. We don't respect any agreement made by the Serbians with other countries. We were collectively dismissed, so we must be collectively returned [to work]. We are also asking for back wages, pensions and benefits."
"Trepca is our place - we have done everything to fight for it," said Xhafer Nuli, chair of the independent trade union at the Trepca mine, near Mitrovica. He said Dutch, Bulgarian, U.S., Greek, and British investors have all shown interest in buying into the mine. One Greek capitalist concern, the Mytilineos group, has actually bought substantial interest in the Trepca mine and begun some capital investments. Hajrizi sees this as a political move by Belgrade to secure Athens' diplomatic support. The union had appealed to the embassies of these countries not to invest. With the exception of Bulgaria, these governments also have troops participating in the NATO force being prepared in Macedonia.
The union has also tried to inform trade unions in other countries and other parts of Yugoslavia of the situation facing Albanian miners in Kosova. Nuli cited the case of miners from Tuzla in Bosnia, who were sent to work in Trepca after an explosion at their own mine. The union explained to these workers that the jobs they were working were the jobs of miners sacked for being Albanian -some left straight away. Others left after a while, and since the start of the war, all have now returned to Tuzla.
Some investment has begun in Kosova, according to Nuli, since 1997, but the independent trade unions appeal to workers not to take the jobs. "We were offered 500 jobs by Mytilineos in January 1998, but they have not been taken."
The Union of Independent Trade Unions of Kosova adopted a resolution at its first congress in 1990 favoring privatization after the fight for self-determination is won. But the sense of ownership of the means of production felt by workers is clear in speaking with the miners of Trepca. "Under socialism, the mine belonged to the workers," Nuli told the Militant. "We invested in the mines. We consider them ours. Nearly half the miners had relatives who died in the mine. We have many reasons to claim this mine."
A.H. AND N.T.