Problem solved, mandate made available: Karamehmedović counting his last days at the helm of BHRT?

Written by: Amra Vrabac

After five months of agony and mutual accusations, in which BHRT's general director Belmin Karamehmedović was more prominent at the expense of RTV FBiH and its leadership, with mediation by the Minister of Transport and Communications Edin Forto, an agreement was signed, and the distribution of the collected RTV fee, which is in the account of JP Elektroprivreda BiH, will continue. Karamehmedović's blackmail did not bear fruit, and an agreement was signed that could have been realized at the beginning of this year.

BHRT workers finally breathed a sigh of relief; today their salary for April was paid, as well as a hot meal and transportation allowance. No amount of money can compensate them for five months of uncertainty. However, now we must face the truth and raise the question of whether Belmin Karamehmedović should remain at the helm of BHRT. The short answer would be no. A longer one follows below.

A few days ago, in a public confrontation on N1 television with FTV director Džemal Šabić, Karamehmedović said that he "puts his mandate at disposal."

"Here, I am now saying publicly, as soon as we solve this problem, I put my mandate at disposal," said Karamehmedović.

The problem is solved. And the facts are as follows.

His mandate certainly expires in 2025, and he has already secured a new job in the newly founded company Val grupa komunikacije, of which he is one of the owners. Unlike BHRT workers, whose years of service have not been registered for years, preventing them from exercising basic rights to medical treatment and pensions, Karamehmedović's monthly salary equals the amount a BHRT worker receives in five months. And no, Karamehmedović has no empathy for his workers. Because while they were making ends meet, going into debt to survive a month without pay, the BHRT director relieved his "stress" in Sarajevo's cafes and restaurants. He had reason to celebrate.

Last week, the BHRT Collegium canceled 15 TV shows due to the severe financial situation. The morning program, one of the most watched, was shortened from three to two hours. Despite the signed agreement and the resolution of the problem in the relationship between the two public services, a two-hour edition of the show Jutro za sve is planned for Monday.

A decision on reinstating the shows into BHRT's program should be made on Monday. However, the BHRT management was preempted by the director of RTV FBiH, Džemal Šabić. On Thursday, he spoke to Klix about the reached agreement and announced the return of all shows on BHRT.

He also emphasized that under the new agreement, FTV will pay more to BHRT, and the monthly amount should be 1.8 million KM, which includes the debt incurred over the last five months for technical services. On the other hand, BHRT will increase the volume of services to FTV, while all lawsuits will be withdrawn. The legal team of RTV FBiH filed criminal charges against the BHRT management after BHRT prevented them from broadcasting their program on May 8, allowing only news and daily bulletins. By the end of the day, the Municipal Court in Sarajevo urgently acted and issued a temporary measure ordering BHRT to immediately restore the signal to the FBiH public service, which was done.

The BHRT Union also did not distinguish itself in the fight for workers' rights. They organized only a few gatherings inside the BHRT building demanding their rights. At the last gathering on May 28, they presented the following demands to the BHRT management: accountability of the BHRT management and Supervisory Board for the current state of the BiH Public Service, payment of overdue salaries and allowances, increase in salary and hot meal allowance and their adjustment to the cost of living, settlement of all contributions that have not been paid for years, improvement of working conditions, and a new job classification.

This is Belmin Karamehmedović's second term at the helm of BHRT. He has spent nine years at the head of BHRT, and behind him will remain accumulated debts, questionable contracts with private productions, endangered workers' rights, damaged interpersonal relations, insufficient quality of BHRT's program...

And while the political parties that make up the government in FBiH, as well as at the state level, announce changes in the management of RTV FBiH and the removal of Džemal Šabić, Karamehmedović should step down on his own and focus on his private company. Then he can see what it's like to earn every mark of salary, rather than collecting ready money from the RTV fee.