Novalić - Wigemark: New Labour Law is Better than the Current One

The reform agenda, which includes social, economic and labour law reforms, were the key topics of today's meeting in Sarajevo between the Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Fadil Novalić and the Head of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to BiH Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, reports the Patria news agency.

The meeting was also attended by the French Ambassador to BiH Claire Bodonyi and the Chargé d'Affaires of the German Embassy to BiH Adrian Pollmann.

In a statement to the media after the meeting, Novalić said that the new Labour Law was received negatively by some and with quite untrue statements, even though this law is literally a copy of the EU acquis adapted to the circumstances in BiH.

The Labour Law, as he said, is an integral part of Chapter 19 out of a total of 35, which were signed on July 1 through the coordination mechanism.

- We wanted to show the BiH public, but also the international community, that the reforms we need to implement are our task and that they are not created under pressure from the EU or the international community - Novalić pointed out and added that from the EU we „only ask for help on that path“.

The new Labour Law, he explained, represents an expansion of workers' rights, and reminded that privileged sectors such as public administration, the energy sector, the communications sector and the communal system are against the new Labour Law. On the other side, he says, is the industrial sector, which, in the context of collective agreements, is completely unprotected.

- The new Labour Law reduces the rights of the privileged and increases the rights of the underprivileged - Novalić pointed out.

The meeting also discussed the reform agenda, and in that regard, he said that the agenda was adopted yesterday in the Republika Srpska, today in the Council of Ministers of BiH, and will be adopted in the Government of FBiH on Monday. That, says Novalić, is the 11th and final version of the agenda that will represent the basic concept of action in the coming period.

He added that at yesterday's session of the Government of FBiH, four points contained in the reform agenda were discussed, which concern increasing employment, the Labour Law, the Law on Forests and the Budget Rebalance.

Wigemark said that over the past year there have been many stories about reforms. He recalled last year's protests by BiH citizens faced with problems such as a rigid labour market, underdeveloped economy and the like, who were demanding employment and new jobs.

BiH, Wigemark believes, has potential that can be used, but there is simply no access to the labour market. According to him, the EU heard the message of the citizens and based on that adapted in terms of a new EU approach to Bosnia and Herzegovina with a stronger focus on social and economic reforms, including the rule of law, the fight against corruption...

He pointed out that if BiH wants to achieve all its set goals, it is necessary to implement economic, social and justice sector reforms, which is also stated, he reminded, in the joint statement signed by political leaders in BiH.

- We are here to support you on the path to the EU. All countries in the region are making progress, Croatia is already an EU member, Serbia is to start accession negotiations, Montenegro has candidate status, and even Albania - said Wigemark, adding that the EU wants BiH to catch up with other countries in the region, and they believe that reforms are absolutely necessary.

Regarding the new Labour Law proposed by the Government of FBiH, he said that it is clear that it is much better than the existing one, because it is about creating new jobs, not protecting the privileged.

- The system that currently exists in BiH is something left over from Tito's time and we need to ask ourselves whether we want to return to the past or whether we want something more modern - said Wigemark.

He stressed that it is important to maintain dialogue on all these issues and to keep in mind the interests of everyone, not just the privileged who have well-paid jobs, but also those who are unemployed.

He also pointed out that he supports the dialogue between the unions, the Government of FBiH and employers, noting that if the union wants to maintain the current situation, then that, as he said, is their choice.

However, he emphasizes that besides unions, other categories, such as the unemployed, have their own rights.