Letter to delegates: HDZ's proposal on increasing salaries for civil servants is unfair

(Patria) - The House of Representatives of the BiH PA adopted amendments to the Law on Salaries and Allowances in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which change/increase coefficients for certain categories of salary grades of civil servants (expert associate, senior expert associate, expert advisor) employed in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Confirmation from the House of Peoples of the BiH PA is awaited for the implementation, and these amendments were proposed by the HDZ Caucus.

However, delegates of the House of Peoples have received several objections to this proposal, and it is claimed that these amendments most affect the salary grade B4 - head of department.

Namely, coefficients are increased for some categories of civil servants, i.e., salary grades B1 to B3 (expert associate, senior expert associate, expert advisor), while the existing coefficient is retained for salary grade B4 - head of department without a justified explanation/or the explanation is not available to us civil servants. The current base salaries for these categories range from 998 KM for B1 to 1,548 KM for B4 (head of department, who is not covered by the new law).

Dissatisfaction arose because the law was adopted without public consultations, unclear role of trade unions, absence of collective agreements, etc.

Thus, delegates of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been asked to act in a way that the oversight related to the increase of coefficients (from zero to the sixth coefficient) for salary grade B4 – head of department is corrected in a timely manner.

It is claimed that the status of civil servants would be improved by the adoption of the budget of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an increase in the base for salary calculation/return to the base of 535 KM, a linear increase up to salary grade B4 (especially considering that other salary grades under the current law have large differences in zero coefficients compared to civil servants for salary grades B1 to B4).

"It is clear that civil servants and administrative staff in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been 'forgotten' for years when it comes to harmonizing salaries and allowances, and it is high time that this is corrected in the right way for all civil servants who do not go through appointment procedures during employment," the letter, which Patria had access to, states.