SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) -- In the worst unrest since Bosnia's terrible civil war two decades ago, buildings have been set ablaze and the presidency has been put under siege. But the trouble this time is economic - not ethnic.
When Bosnia abandoned communism about two decades ago, officials devised a plan to privatize state-owned companies in a way they hoped would avoid mass layoffs for state workers. It was supposed to be a smooth transition after the 1992-1995 war that left 100,000 dead and devastated the country's infrastructure.
But it has been a disaster for people like Munevera Drugovac, a 58-year-old widow, who works for a company that was bought by a businessman in 2004. She hasn't been paid in 19 months.
"Back then, I didn't have electricity and heating because of the war," she said. "Now, I don't have it because of unpaid bills."
More than 80 percent of privatizations have failed. Many well-connected tycoons have swept into these companies, stripping them of their assets, declaring bankruptcy and leaving thousands without jobs or with minimal pay.
Protests erupted Feb. 4 in the northern city of Tuzla, where thousands of factory workers burned government buildings and clashed with police over the sell-off of four state-owned companies that left them without jobs and earned salaries.
The violence spread to other cities, including the capital, Sarajevo, with grievances growing to include a 40-percent unemployment rate, widespread corruption and a widening gap between rich and poor.
After the breakup of socialist Yugoslavia, Bosnians knew little about capitalism and relied on Westerners for advice.
"We entered the process of privatization with people who had no idea what a market economy was and without rule of law," economist Svetlana Cenic said. "That's a recipe for disaster."
The idea behind Bosnia's privatization program was for the new owners to invest money into state-owned companies, modernize them and maintain the workforce.
Bosnia's privatizations are overseen by a government agency. If the new owner doesn't fulfill contractual obligations, the agency can sue him and a court decision can annul the deal. But court proceedings can take years, during which time many owners sell off the companies' assets and declare bankruptcy.
For years, Bosnian workers affected by failed privatizations have relied on this slow-moving court system for justice.
Drugovac is one of them. She said she has worked for Sarajevo-based Feroelektro, the third-biggest trading company in the former Yugoslavia, since 1984 when it was state-owned. A tycoon, Goran Stanic, bought 60 percent of the company a decade ago for 1 million euros.
Drugovac, who has taken part in the protests, said he immediately cut salaries and put the company's 167 workers on minimum wages. For the past 19 months, Drugovac said she hasn't been paid her 130-euro ($180) monthly salary, but she keeps going to work while a court case is pending.
"My husband was killed during the war," Drugovac said. "I was killed by Goran Stanic in peace - without a bullet."
