Representative Trade Unions of BiH Demand Adoption of the 2023 Budget

(Patria) - A letter was sent to the Chairperson and all ministers of the Council of Ministers by three representative trade unions of employees in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which we publish in its entirety:

"Given that the Decision on the base salary for employees in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina has not yet been adopted, nor has the draft budget of BiH institutions for 2023, the representative trade unions, the Union of Police Bodies, the Trade Union of the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Trade Union of Civil Servants and Employees in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, considering the difficult material situation caused by inflation and constant price increases, and based on information about the increase in income of employees in lower government bodies, demand the urgent adoption of the Proposal for a Decision on the amount of the base salary for 2023 in the amount of 630.00 KM proposed by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the adoption of the draft budget for 2023 so that it can begin the adoption procedure as soon as possible.

We believe that it is unnecessary to further explain the difficult material situation of employees in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Furthermore, we point out that in the past period, several political representatives in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina have expressed dissatisfaction due to the increase in the base salary for appointed and elected officials, which is why we ask you to show responsibility and find a way to separate the calculation of salaries for employees in the institutions from the calculation of salaries for appointed and elected officials and send the draft Budget for further procedure with the proposed base salary of 630.00 KM under urgent procedure.

In addition to the above, we call on you to amend the Decision on the method and procedure for exercising the rights of employees in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to compensation for official travel in terms of the daily allowance amount from the current 25.00 to 60.00 KM, as well as the possible different definition of "official travel" and "operational work" for police officers, as well as the Decision on the amount of the holiday bonus for 2023 in the amount proposed by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as soon as possible.

Bearing in mind that a large number of unresolved issues and problems faced by employees in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina have accumulated, we hope for a prompt meeting to initiate social dialogue in order to find solutions for them related to the labor-legal and material status of all employees in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina."