Both public and private sectors voluntarily contribute daily wages for the vulnerable

Regarding media reports concerning the recently adopted Law on Financing Aid for the Removal of Consequences of Natural Disasters and the Restoration of Areas Affected by Natural Disasters, for the purpose of truthful and correct public information, the FBiH Government reacted and sent an explanation which Patria conveys in its entirety.

- The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at its 118th session held on 05.06.2014, adopted and sent this Law into parliamentary procedure with the aim of securing and transparently directing funds intended for the restoration of areas affected by floods, which struck our country in May this year. In the text of the Law determined by the Government, Article 7 enables all employees in the Federation of BiH, thus without distinction between the public and private sectors, to allocate an amount equivalent to one daily wage from their salary and direct it towards financing the restoration of affected areas, exclusively with their written consent - states the FBiH Government's press release.

For employees in public administration, this amount is one daily wage, while for employees in the private sector it is 1% of the net monthly salary for the next six months, starting from the date this law comes into force. It is also stipulated that funds will be allocated on the condition that the employee has not refused in writing to have these funds allocated from their salary.

As stated by the FBiH Government, when the Law was adopted in the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, a part of the mentioned provision concerning equal treatment and the voluntary nature of this contribution for employees in the private sector was omitted due to a technical error.

- In order to rectify this technical omission, the Law was amended, and the corrected version was confirmed by the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, and confirmation from the House of Representatives is also expected soon. - We want to emphasize once again that the intention of this Law, in the part concerning possible contributions from employees in the FBiH to help those affected, is to enable those who wish to contribute to the restoration, regardless of whether they come from the public or private sector. Therefore, in no case is this a new burden on employees or employers in the Federation of BiH - the FBiH Government's press release states, as reported by Patria.