If SDA and SBB support the Labour Law without amendments, they will help Čović round off the third entity

The Labour Law will again be before the delegates of the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina tomorrow. This law will be considered in the identical text as adopted in July last year, although it caused a storm of discontent. This means that the controversial Article 160 has not been amended either, according to which federal labour inspectors have their hands tied, in favour of cantonal labour inspectors, the Patria agency writes.

Experts have assessed that the Labour Law in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which the House of Peoples will consider, is a concession to Dragan Čović, i.e. the HDZ, because the entire labour market in western Herzegovina has been taken over by inspectors who are under the control of this party. This law was proposed more than eight months ago precisely by the HDZ BiH, and was supported by the SDA!

The Federal Administration for Inspection Affairs warned Prime Minister Fadil Novalić about the problems that the new Labour Law would bring, but this did not result in any changes. Fadil Novalić and the SDA are clearly on the side of Čović and the HDZ.

The Labour Law, which tied the hands of federal labour inspectors, was adopted in July last year. According to this law, federal labour inspectors lost the authority to control work in companies, except those of interest to the Federation of BiH. The work of federal labour inspectors was given to cantonal inspections. Simply put, federal labour inspectors can control several public companies, while all private companies are controlled by cantonal inspectors. With this law, the HDZ BiH opened up the possibility for itself to decide on the entire economic life in Herzegovina through its inspectors.

One can also speak of a gradual rounding off of the third, i.e. Croatian, territorial unit in BiH. Inspectors from Sarajevo, i.e. the Federation, no longer have any authority over western Herzegovina under this law.

The Constitutional Court of the Federation of BiH overturned this Labour Law at the end of February this year, because it was assessed that it was adopted contrary to the Rules of Procedure of the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH and the Constitution of the Federation of BiH. Delegates of the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Front and Our Party in the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH initiated a dispute in October last year before the Constitutional Court of the Federation of BiH regarding the procedure for adopting the Labour Law. The dispute was initiated by 17 delegates of the House of Peoples.

The parties complained that by violating the Rules of Procedure of the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH and the Constitution of the Federation of BiH, the delegates of the House of Peoples were denied the right to submit amendments to the proposed law. The Constitutional Court of the Federation of BiH accepted their appeal, so the Labour Law was returned to the parliamentary procedure.

Unfortunately, the government of Fadil Novalić submitted the same law to the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, without changing its greatest shortcomings. Not even the controversial Article 160, which allows Čović to control the entire economy in Herzegovina.

SDP delegate Aner Žuljević told Patria that it is not too late to change this flawed law, if there is political will. If the amendments do not happen, Article 160 remains and receives the support of the parliamentary majority, i.e. the ruling coalition, it will be proof that Čović's political activities on creating a third entity are supported by the SDA, but also by their third coalition partner, the SBB. For the record, last year in July, the SBB was against the Labour Law, Patria writes.