Novalić and Džindić can resolve the fate of Konjuh workers within 5 hours

Workers of Konjuh, who due to a debt of around 130,000 KM to the Health Insurance Institute cannot retire and have been on hunger strike for nine days, are told by the Tuzla Canton government that cantonal authorities have no legal jurisdiction to resolve the Konjuh issue because, as they say, on one hand it is a private company, and on the other hand that private company falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal government, reports the Patria news agency.

However, that a simple solution exists for the roughly 20 aggrieved workers is as clear as day, because there is a Decision on the financial consolidation of the company Konjuh, which was adopted back during the previous government led by Nermin Nikšić, who also settled the debt for PIO. The implementation of this decision should be overseen by Nermin Džindić, Minister of Energy and Mining, but now he evidently has other business than resolving the fate of 20 workers.

According to this decision, the health debt is charged against the company's capital. The former FBiH government registered the service years for these workers a year ago, and the debt amount of 130,000 KM for health is so minor that it is shameful that people have been on hunger strike for nine days.

Decision adopted by Nikšić's Government

- There is a Law on Financial Consolidation that regulates this. In the specific case of Konjuh, it was supposed to sign an agreement with the Health Insurance Institute on the method of debt repayment but charged against capital, so that the Konjuh shareholders' assembly would adopt a decision that for that amount the Institute becomes a co-owner of the company – says our source from Konjuh.

In fact, the essence of this law is that the debt cannot be written off, but it can be booked against the company's capital.

- The point is that they have a way to resolve this, because the debt for PIO has been paid. This law was passed precisely for such cases, because even when the debt for PIO is paid, people cannot retire because they have a debt for health insurance – our source further states.

Incidentally, the workers did not have validated health cards and could not receive medical treatment, so the collection of this debt is bizarre, but since it is public revenue, it cannot be written off. It is obvious that the institutes do not want to deal with this, and there is no concrete action from the FBiH government, because it is clear that this problem can be resolved in a very short time.