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Podcast gives workers a voice in Bosnia and Herzegovina

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, issues relating to working conditions and trade union rights have long struggled to gain a foothold in the public debate. Traditional media rarely give space to workers’ perspectives.

To change this, Božo Marić, president of the Public Administration Trade Union of Republika Srpska, launched the podcast “Bez rukavica” – “Without Gloves”.

With support from the Palme Center, a new platform was created for open discussions on labour law, social justice and current political issues.

The podcast has quickly gained significant traction. Within the first 40 days, the programme had already reached around 1.5 million views on YouTube and social media.

The initiative creates a new public arena where workers, politicians and employers can engage in dialogue. It demonstrates how trade unions can make workers’ conditions more visible in the public debate.

Bez rukavica’s website

From conflict to dialogue on labour law in Bosnia and Herzegovina

When Bosnia and Herzegovina began reforming labour law linked to EU integration, political tensions in the country simultaneously increased.

The issue of the minimum wage in particular created conflict – making trust between authorities, trade unions and civil society weak.

Dialogue allowed for solutions and better conditions

In May 2025, the Palme Center, together with the Forum Left Initiative (FLI), took the initiative to bring together key stakeholders in Sarajevo. During a four-day programme, politicians, trade union representatives and civil society organisations met to discuss labour law, social dialogue and labour market reforms.

The dialogue made it possible to discuss concrete solutions regarding the minimum wage, labour inspections and how the reforms could be implemented more fairly.

The initiative proved to be particularly important for the decision to raise the minimum wage to 1000 KM in 2025.

By creating a forum for open dialogue, the initiative helped to strengthen trust between the prevailing parties and create better conditions for fair labour market reforms.