Lončar: Persons whose employers did not pay contributions are also entitled to compensation

(Patria) - Director of the Federal Employment Bureau Helena Lončar said that they are continuously monitoring on a daily basis what is happening in the unemployment registration services.

"Generally, we can say that as of March 30, it did not have such a negative impact. We expected this negative shift in April, and it happened. As of April 20, there were 319,604 people registered as unemployed, which is an increase of 12,411 people compared to March 31, when there were 307,197 people," said Lončar.
She emphasized that since the outbreak of coronavirus on March 23, 15,107 people have been registered as unemployed after losing their employment.

"What particularly interests us is material protection. 10,214 people have requested it in the form of monetary compensation. It is important to say that no one will be deprived of their monetary compensation or health insurance," said Lončar.

If there is money left over beyond these needs, it will be directed towards active employment policies, such as subsidizing healthcare staff according to the needs of institutions.

"Starting from Wednesday, the number of people registering is decreasing. On Wednesday, we reached a maximum of 1,277 people in one day, the next day it was 1,261, then 1,173, and yesterday it was 1,075. We believe this is the result of the efforts of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and other cantonal governments. It is expected that the assistance provided will reflect in the reduction of layoffs," said Lončar. 

She also commented on the issue of what will happen to persons who were laid off, but their employer did not pay contributions, and some services are issuing them decisions stating they are not entitled to compensation.

"This practice was applied unevenly from service to service, and the Bureau has taken the position that we respect the Constitutional Court's ruling and that persons should receive compensation, because they are not to blame for their employer not paying their obligations," said Lončar.