SDP: Urgently implement loan moratorium and prevent layoffs!

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina demands that the entity governments immediately publish data on the number of citizens losing their jobs after the declaration of a state of emergency and accompanying measures across BiH.

"We demand that the exact data from tax administrations on the number of deregistered workers from the period of the declaration of the state of emergency be published, along with continuous updating and publication of data. We expect decrees from governments at all levels to be adopted, obligating employers who have laid off workers to face a long-term moratorium on doing business with all public institutions at all levels," the SDP stated in a press release.

At the same time, they demand that governments present concrete measures for the protection of workers and the prevention of further layoffs.

"The restructuring of the Crisis Staff of the FBiH is a clear indication, even an admission of responsibility by the authorities in this entity, that necessary, timely measures to mitigate both the health and economic consequences of the pandemic were not taken. From the Government of the Federation of BiH and the banking sector, we demand that the measure of deferring loan payments for the entire population be implemented without delay, and that the same measure be adopted in the RS entity and Brčko District. Numerous complaints from citizens of the FBiH whose requests for loan payment deferral are rejected or ignored, while payments are duly collected, show that the Government of the FBiH was not sincere in its intentions, and that nothing has been done to oblige the banking sector to implement the measure. The practice so far shows that banks are actually only implementing usual measures and mechanisms they use with clients in difficulties, without any additional relief and adjustments to the citizens' position. We demand that the Banking Agency publicly announce the conditions and procedures for the loan moratorium, and that these be applied throughout the country," the SDP BiH statement reads.