KS Health Center Union Distances Itself from Director Baltić, Accuses Him Over Job Classification, Uniform Procurement, and Advertisements!

(Patria) - The Presidency of the Basic Trade Union Organization of Health Workers of the Public Institution Sarajevo Canton Health Center, following yesterday's responses from the General Director of the Sarajevo Canton Health Center Public Institution Abel Baltić to questions from the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton, in which ONE TRADE UNION is mentioned, feels the need to distance itself from the stated claims, according to a statement from the Basic Trade Union Organization of the Sarajevo Canton Health Center Public Institution, which is part of the Health Workers' Trade Union of Sarajevo Canton.

"1. The Presidency of the Basic Trade Union Organization of Health Workers of the Public Institution Sarajevo Canton Health Center has never given its consent to the Rulebook on Work, Internal Organization and Classification of Jobs and Salaries of the Public Institution Sarajevo Canton Health Center, which was approved by the Ministry of Health of Sarajevo Canton on 05.12.2022, nor to the amendments to this Rulebook made on 09.06.2023 and 15.09.2023, about which we were not even informed.
Likewise, we were not informed about the intention to form a Commission for the preparation of the Proposal for Amendments and Additions to the Rulebook on Work, Internal Organization and Classification of Jobs and Salaries of the Public Institution Sarajevo Canton Health Center, and we informed the General Director by decision no. 028/24 dated 08.02.2024, upon learning about the work of such a commission, that we will not agree to any conclusions and decisions made by commissions formed in this manner," state the trade union organization of the Sarajevo Canton Health Center Public Institution.

They add: "2. Regarding the procurement of uniforms for employees of the Public Institution Sarajevo Canton Health Center, we emphasize that our Trade Union is not an organizer of any alternative procurement methods, nor have we participated in the organization and bringing in of any tailors or similar, nor do we have any knowledge of it. For us, the procurement of uniforms has never been controversial; moreover, our primary task is to improve working conditions".

"However, what we see as controversial is primarily the price of the uniforms and their quality. The comparative photographs published in the media, which show inmates of the Zenica Penitentiary on one side and employees of the Public Institution Sarajevo Canton Health Center in the same uniforms but different colors on the other, speak best about the aesthetic aspect. We explicitly emphasize that all employees tried on the uniforms in the manner organized by the Institution, and the general director knows this very well. We will not discuss it further in order to protect, first and foremost, the dignity of the employees of the Public Institution, who perform professional and highly professional jobs in the health system of Sarajevo Canton, whether it be cleaning medical facilities or the most sophisticated medical procedures," they state.

According to them, the retail price of a complete uniform in Sarajevo Canton ranges from 50 to 95 marks, and 1,100 uniforms for the Public Institution Sarajevo Canton Health Center cost more than 397,000 marks.

"Our Trade Union has also raised concerns about the composition of the ordered uniforms, considering that they must have a low electrostatic potential, be suitable for high-temperature maintenance, etc. Following our remarks, the Public Institution Sarajevo Canton Health Center ordered an analysis of the material at Bosnainspekt d.o.o., whose report dated 12.01.2022, in report no. 3337/23, states that the material does not comply with the tender documentation, which required a ratio of 65:35% synthetic to natural materials, but rather complies with the recommendations of our Trade Union and standards for protective equipment of this type intended for healthcare work, with a ratio of 65:35% in favor of natural materials over synthetic ones. After our inquiry about the report, which does not match the declaration stated on the uniforms in question, a second report was prepared on the same day, signed by the same individuals with the same protocol number, stating that the materials meet the requirements of the tender documentation, with the explanation that it was an error," state the Basic Trade Union Unit of the Sarajevo Canton Health Center Public Institution.

They add that "The Presidency of the Basic Trade Union Organization of Health Workers of the Public Institution Sarajevo Canton Health Center, which as a representative Trade Union also acts within the Employee Council, has not been informed in any way about the contracts for leasing business premises and advertising space, nor are we informed about any investigative proceedings being conducted against the Public Institution Sarajevo Canton Health Center on this basis".

"We wish to point out that the representatives of our Trade Union do not participate in the creation of tender conditions in any way; their sole task during the tender process is to control the submitted documentation, and they cannot influence the selection of candidates in any way, as the selection is based on tests and interviews with authorized commission members or the general director. On several occasions, as members of the relevant commissions, we have raised concerns about conditions that are exclusively tailored to the competencies of one person, and there is no other person who possesses them in such a combination, which, of course, has not influenced the selection and hiring of candidates.
We wish to emphasize that the Health Workers' Trade Union of Sarajevo Canton, within which we operate as a Basic Trade Union Organization, is a non-governmental and non-partisan organization, which is not and will not be an instrument of any policy, and its sole interest lies in improving the material and social status, working conditions, and realizing labor rights in accordance with laws and other legal acts, of all workers in the healthcare sector of Sarajevo Canton," states the announcement from the Basic Trade Union Unit of the Sarajevo Canton Health Center Public Institution, which is part of the Health Workers' Trade Union of Sarajevo Canton.