Without urgent societal reaction after the coronavirus, poverty will ensue

By Rasim Belko

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The news says that all parliamentarians, all ministers, and the head of state have renounced their salaries in favor of those on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus - in favor of medics, taxi drivers, cleaners…

Do not be surprised, of course, this was not in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is about Singapore. 

I remember a few years ago, during some crisis in the Federation of BiH, a parliamentarian from this entity said, "Even if both my hands were cut off, I couldn't vote to have my salary reduced."

The man said what he thought. We are not Singapore, and the news that the prime ministers of both BiH entities, Fadil Novalić and Radomir Višković, have renounced their salaries in favor of doctors and others working for us during the crisis will not shock us. 

However, there are already those whose salaries have been reduced to the minimum wage, and the number of laid-off workers is slowly increasing. As time goes by, the number of laid-off workers will also grow. 

And the virus will pass. A rather difficult picture will remain in its wake. The most difficult for those who lose their loved ones. 

But it will not be any easier for those who will lose their jobs in Bosnia and Herzegovina due to the COVID-19 epidemic. That's when chaos will ensue, perhaps even more dangerous than the one for which we are in collective isolation. 

We have already reported that tourism will suffer the most. There are many jobs in that sector. Others will suffer too, to a greater or lesser extent. 

The fate of the workers will depend solely on the employers, which is the biggest problem, because we know how employers in BiH solve crises - they lay off workers and introduce minimum wage for those they keep.

Those employed in state jobs are the safest. There is no virus for which they will be fired. 

What next?

Losses in the millions have already been tallied, and by the end, it will grow to a billion. Everything will fall on those who are least to blame. 

In the news from the beginning of the article, it is stated that everything is working in Singapore even though the coronavirus is raging. There will be no layoffs there, people are working normally. Because they have a normal government, which introduced a system after SARS, making it easier for them to control this new virus as well. 

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that system does not exist, because instead of healthcare, our government invests in its own comfort. I don't need to list things, we know it all. 

Workers will take to the streets when this passes. More precisely, they will be registered with employment services, which mainly serve to register, not to employ. Taking care of these workers will be a bigger test for the BiH authorities than preventing the epidemic. 

Therefore, the state and entity governments should perhaps start thinking now about how to take care of workers who will inevitably lose their jobs. Because, it was promised that 100,000 people would be employed, and now we will have a wave of unemployed. 

Authorities in both entities are negotiating and discussing with businessmen and other employers these days. And we know more or less that funds will be found, because businessmen and the government are generally well connected. 

But what about the workers. They will be left without a means of living, we will have a wave of poverty, which is a potential danger to the entire society. That is why a system needs to be created now to provide these people with the basics for life. 

Without much philosophy, reinventing the wheel, and the like. Europe has such systems even without a pandemic. Those who do not work for some reason have so-called unemployment benefits.

Our government should now start finding funds for all those who are laid off from March 5th until the end of the epidemic. These people do not need one-time assistance, but at least a few months of social stability. 

If there is a will, it will not be difficult at all to create a state solidarity fund, from which a little will be taken from those who have a lot and given to those who will have nothing. How many prime ministers, ministers, representatives, delegates, mayors, councilors do we have… Add to that the vast administration and bureaucracy. 

If a few percent of their salaries are taken from all of them, considerable funds will be secured. What is missing can be allocated from certain budget items. And now various government experts and advisors will tell us that it cannot be done because there are no laws that would allow it. 

However, a state of emergency does not recognize laws too much, but rather orders. Freedom of movement is guaranteed, yet we are forbidden to move. If there is a will, everything is possible and must be done. 

But, there is an additional problem in all of this. Why does a journalist have to write this, when there are so many unions and unionists who are "killing themselves" fighting for human rights. I haven't heard them talk about this problem yet. And why would they, they receive good money, they have "cozied up" a bit with the authorities. Workers are not a priority for such people. 

Not only in crisis, but in constant practice. 

"It doesn't kill the virus, but it creates solidarity," is the message from the Singaporean politician in the news from the beginning of this article. It is time for our politicians, employers, and bureaucracy to think a little about this message. So that we all bear a little of the burden. 

#StayHome while the epidemic lasts, #BeSolidary when it passes.