New Collective Agreement Signed: Salaries Rise in the Utility Sector of Sarajevo Canton, Strike Called Off

(Patria) - Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Nihad Uk and President of the Independent Union of Utility Workers of Sarajevo Canton Rasim Ljucević signed today a new Collective Agreement on the rights and obligations of employers and employees in the utility sector. The signing was also attended by the Minister of Utilities, Infrastructure, Spatial Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection of Sarajevo Canton Mladen Pandurević. At yesterday's press conference of the Utility Workers' Union, a strike was announced for the following week due to the failure to sign the new collective agreement. However, already today, an urgent response came from the Government of Sarajevo Canton, meaning the announced strike is called off.

The new agreement defines a successive increase in salaries for workers in all cantonal public utility companies over the next two years:

• For 2026: The basic salary of workers is increased by 7%, retroactively from January 1, 2026.

• For 2027: An additional increase in the basic salary by 8% is planned, starting from January 1, 2027.

Union President Rasim Ljucević expressed satisfaction with the agreement reached, emphasizing constructive dialogue with the Government of Sarajevo Canton. He noted that this is the fifth salary increase in this sector in the past three and a half years, and that the material status of workers has been most significantly improved during the term of the current Government.

Regarding the signing of the agreement, Prime Minister Nihad Uk emphasized that with this salary increase, the Government continues its ongoing support for workers in the utility sector, aware of the importance of their work for everyday life in the canton.

He also sent a clear message to workers and the managements of utility companies that the justified public dissatisfaction with the quality of certain utility services cannot be ignored.

"It is our obligation to ensure dignified working conditions, but also to work together on raising the quality of services. I believe that a better material status will be an additional motivation for employees to meet the justified expectations of citizens for improvement on the ground – from street cleanliness and maintenance of green areas to the efficiency of water supply. Our goal is an efficient utility system that we will all be satisfied with," Prime Minister Uk stated.