Both Workers and Employers Confused: Why is Novalić Pushing the Labor Law "by Force"?

Thousands of disenfranchised workers across Bosnia and Herzegovina, hundreds of destroyed companies, are proof that current laws are either not good or were poorly implemented by those who created them, writes the Patria News Agency.

A lot of dust has been raised around the Draft of the New Labor Law, which this country needs, but the Prime Minister of the Federation of BiH, Fadil Novalić, has acted as if he wants this law not to pass. Namely, the draft law was prepared in a very non-transparent manner, and then it was simply served to the public at a time when the environment for the implementation of such a law does not exist at all.

SDA and HDZ "foisted" the law, thinking that under the guise of the IMF and EU demanding it, everyone would agree to something they had never even seen. Except for employer representatives, most others in the Federation of BiH, who employ thousands of workers, are still seeking information about what the new law actually contains.

This is precisely where the biggest problem lies, because if they had sincere intentions, every employer would already have the Law on the table through their chambers of commerce and could provide their remarks.

Almir Terzić, an analyst, warns that the adoption of the Draft Labor Law of the Federation of BiH without discussions with social partners - trade unions and the Economic and Social Council - is a move by which the Government of the Federation of BiH has grossly violated the procedural process.

- Any labor law without tax and contribution relief on wages will not and cannot lead to a higher degree of employment in the Federation of BiH, and thus in BiH, nor to greater foreign investment. Also, without a clear policy to combat undeclared work and stricter sanctions for violating provisions, it is also impossible to talk about improvement in the general area of employment - says Terzić.

Furthermore, Terzić notes that the Labor Law should and must be viewed in the broader context of the overall situation in the Federation of BiH, which is extremely difficult.

- The Government of the Federation of BiH would have a greater economic effect if it collected the overdue taxes and contributions of public enterprises and companies, which amount to billions. As for the labor law itself, the Government of the Federation of BiH should have found modalities to protect workers from employers, not the other way around - emphasizes Terzić.

Labor laws in EU countries are accompanied by social programs that protect workers if they lose their jobs due to redundancy. In addition to the mandatory health insurance system, which unemployed workers are entitled to, there is also unemployment compensation depending on the length of their service.

- In BiH, strict criteria must be met for this, and even when the right is exercised, it is at the level of charity, not the possibility to meet basic life needs until a new job is found. The government's claim that they want to "prevent the privileged" is staggering. It would be in the interest of any government to equalize the rights of all workers for the better, not to reduce those who have some kind of wages to the beggar's stick on which most employees in BiH are - emphasizes Terzić.

Novalić has never explained why this very important law, without any social sensitivity and prior consultations with all those concerned, was simply put into procedure. Experts further warn that the real (private) and public sectors can never be equalized, as it is known that the real sector is stronger everywhere in the world.

Workers who have been seeking their rights for years do not trust the authorities, because no law has protected them so far. For example, Senad Smajić, a representative of disenfranchised workers of Feroelektro, openly calls the authorities thieves.

- Thieves make laws and later implement them as they need them. I have nothing against the new law, because from my struggle, which has been going on for years, I haven't even had time to read it. Politics has destroyed everything it could, and the privileged are still in office. An example of this are the Stanići, who have destroyed so many workers, and their lawyers interpret the laws as they wish, and politics allows them to apply them as they want - stated Smajić.