SDP calls on the RS Government to stop pressuring workers and withdraw the Labour Law from procedure

The Social Democratic Party of BiH most strongly condemns the pressure exerted by the regime in Republika Srpska through the Ministry of Internal Affairs on trade union activists in this BiH entity. Repression, scaring, and intimidation of anyone, especially workers seeking the minimum of their labour rights, is not characteristic of the 21st century and modern, democratically organized societies, reports the Patria News Agency.

The way the RS Government has submitted the new Labour Law to the parliamentary procedure, in an urgent process without the consent of trade unions and a public debate, strongly resembles everything that the government of Prime Minister Fadil Novalić did when the same law was adopted hastily in the Federation of BiH.

SDP BiH believes that the Labour Law in RS cannot be adopted without an agreement with social partners. We call on the RS Government, as we once called on the FBiH Government, to show a minimum of social sensitivity and respect for the difficult socio-economic situation in this BiH entity, and to withdraw the Labour Law from the parliamentary procedure today, which benefits everyone except the workers.

The RS Government, like the previous FBiH Government, has once again shown an unacceptable level of disrespect for the workers and citizens of BiH, protecting only the interests of capital owners with an incredible degree of arrogance, and according to the opinion of the same authorities, workers should work for the most miserable wages in Europe. 

The best illustration of this is the move by the Government of the Federation of BiH, which blocked the signing of the General Collective Agreement, because it considers the agreed minimum wage of 410 KM to be too high.

We offer full support to the trade unions in BiH in their fight for the protection of workers' rights and instruct representatives at all levels of government to continue with the initiated activities in order to prevent further trampling of workers' rights.