Salaries at GRAS will not be paid yet, the union has taken responsibility for the possibility of such a situation

(Patria) - The GRAS Trade Union stated for Patria today that they are demanding the public release of the report by the Office for Combating Corruption on the company's operations. They believe it is not fair to point fingers at the Trade Union as the culprit for the blocked accounts.

- The Trade Union has nothing to do with individual lawsuits filed by workers that have come due for payment. We filed a collective lawsuit 10 years ago, which was later withdrawn, and as a trade union, we support workers in exercising their rights. We are eagerly awaiting the report's publication to see who did what in this company. We heard on television that the report is ready but that it is not yet time for its publication; we wonder why and whether those responsible want to protect themselves, stated Amir Muminović, president of the GRAS Trade Union.

The KS Government expects the report to be ready next week. Patria has learned that some workers who have collected on their lawsuits are being questioned by investigative bodies to determine how they obtained priority for payment and whether they were delivered invoices for services.

- There is a lot of talk about payments based on lawsuits. It is true that some from the administration collected up to 90,000 KM, and drivers up to 15,000 KM. But that is a matter of the collective agreement and the systematization created within the company. People with higher education logically receive higher amounts, and what I know is that a large part of the debt relates to interest. If payments were made on time, we would not be in this situation, said Muminović.

The KS Government states that they will not take any action to find a solution for the payment of outstanding salaries, which has led 10 workers of this company to go on a hunger strike until the Office for Corruption completes its report. The government, as well as some employees, believe that those on strike are influenced by some trade union activists who bear responsibility for the difficult situation at GRAS.

- That story makes no sense. The Trade Union can mobilize 500 people for a strike in an hour, but we did not want to do that due to the pandemic, and also out of fairness to the government, which inherited the problems and, to be honest, allocated the most funds this year to try to resolve them, Muminović told us.

According to data obtained by Patria, it appears that the strike does not currently benefit the trade union. Namely, according to the agreement with the KS Government on the payment of 10.8 million marks for the unblocking of accounts, which have been spent, the management and the trade union have assumed complete responsibility for all possible consequences for the company that may occur, because after this payment, they are obliged to ensure the company's functionality from its own revenue.

After the funds were paid, GRAS's account was unblocked for only two days. New worker lawsuits became due for payment, as well as a blockade by the Tax Administration of the FBiH. GRAS's own revenues cannot even cover the salary costs of the company's employees.

- I said that I do not want to comment on anything until things are clarified. What I can say is that we are doing everything to ensure GRAS functions and to create conditions for people to receive their salaries, said the Minister of Transport in KS, Adnan Šteta.

While the government, which wants to help GRAS, constantly encounters obstacles within the company, mutual accusations are flying. Regarding the statement from the drivers' union that lawsuits were withdrawn during the time Hasan Bašić was director, the president of the GRAS Trade Union could not remain silent.

- Many directors have sued the company and collected on their lawsuits. Your interviewee from the drivers' union yesterday also sued the company, said Muminović.

The government is increasingly hearing that the only viable solution is the bankruptcy of GRAS. The president of the trade union claims that it is being misinterpreted that they are against it.

- We have not received anything in writing. If, according to the law, a new company can be established with an optimal number of employees, because there are certainly redundancies, but if the rights of workers are protected and obligations towards them are respected, we are in favor. We only want to be sure that the new company will not operate on the same principles as before, which would again lead to the same problems, said Muminović.

The issue of surplus workers at GRAS continues to be viewed differently. The trade union minimizes the number, while on the other hand, there is talk of duplicated and invented positions, sick leaves, work-related disabilities, veterans, etc. When the number of those who effectively work is tallied, sources close to the government believe that currently about 60 percent of employees are actively working at GRAS. Both the government and the trade union should be aware that the issue of GRAS is not just a matter of labor relations; any delay in resolving the accumulated problems could be suffered by the citizens, who are already suffering because an insufficient number of vehicles are operating at GRAS.