BHRT accounts blocked, warning protest tomorrow

(Patria) - The Independent Trade Union of BHRT Workers is organizing a warning protest tomorrow, which will be held on Wednesday, 12/15/2021, at 10:30 AM on the first floor of the RTV Home in Sarajevo.

The reason for the protest is the blockade of BHRT's accounts, which prevents the payment of workers' salaries, completely endangers the already difficult work and functioning of BHRT, and jeopardizes the existence of hundreds of workers and their families. The account of RTRS, which owes BHRT more than 54 million KM from collected RTV fees in Republika Srpska, for which there are credible documents, has not been blocked. That money would be more than enough to cover all of BHRT's debts and provide viewers with higher quality programming. This is not the first time, and we fear it will not be the last, that the existence of BHRT workers is jeopardized in this way.

State institutions are blocked, and it seems that efforts are being made to block the existence of RTV Bosnia and Herzegovina as well. While some MPs in the state parliament are sending the Public Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina into bankruptcy, another part is calling for non-payment of the RTV fee, and the rest of the parliament members are silent and, through their silence and inaction, are approving the shutdown of the state public service and its 76-year-long tradition.

Due to the never-completed digitalization process led by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of BiH, which has allocated and secured funds for digitalization in the amount of 34 million KM in its account, we have reached a situation where, by decisions of the Communications Regulatory Agency of BiH (RAK BiH), we are shutting down the main TV transmitters for re-broadcasting the signals of BHT and FTV (Vlašić Relay Station – most of BiH directly, Sarajevo – Hum, Mostar – Fortica, Tuzla – Ilinčica, Srebrenik - Lipik, etc.) as well as over 140 other TV repeaters that are directly or indirectly powered by the reception signal from the aforementioned locations.

From the beginning of 2022, a large part of BiH territory will be without reception of the analog terrestrial signal of BHT and FTV. BHRT is thus slowly losing its status as a Public Service because we will no longer be able to cover 95% of BiH territory with the signal, which we are obliged to do by law, and the employees working at these stations are justifiably concerned about their jobs.

We particularly emphasize that BHRT employees have been working and serving the citizens of BiH throughout the coronavirus pandemic, even though our salaries were reduced by 10 percent at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. Even in such conditions, we perform our tasks and the program runs smoothly, covering all important events.

However, our salaries, which we have earned by reporting from protests, parliamentary sessions, meetings with international officials, cultural and sports events, are questionable from month to month. As an additional illustration, we offer a few facts: The base salary at BHRT is 234.75 KM, and there are a significant number of employees whose monthly salary is 406 KM. BHRT uses equipment in some facilities that is 45 or even 50 years old, which is worn out and must be replaced urgently because it is failing and poses a risk to work processes and employee health.

There is, of course, no money for this. There is no money for employee contributions, for daily allowances for official travel so that our cameras can cover the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is no money for the purchase of media rights, modern HD equipment... etc. In fact, there is, but it does not reach the Public Service of BiH.

As the representative trade union at BHRT, which has been warning all responsible parties for years about the catastrophic financial situation, low employee wages, and increasingly poor working conditions, we call on all those responsible for this situation to react URGENTLY and, in accordance with the law, ensure uninterrupted financing of the Public Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and for workers to realize their basic rights. We also call on the representatives of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina to do everything in their power to ensure that domestic authorities finally start working on the issue of stable financing of public services in BiH, which is also one of the 14 priorities that BiH must fulfill on its path to EU membership.

We demand that the Management approach the systematization of jobs more seriously, harmonize salaries, and finally sign the Collective Agreement. The workers of this company must not be collateral damage of political games, and the shutdown of the Public Service of BiH must not be an option!, states the Independent Trade Union of BHRT Workers.