KS MUP Union: Lowest Salaries in the Region, Poor Working Conditions, and Ignorance of Real Problems

(Patria) - The Union of Police Officers, Civil Servants, and Employees of Sarajevo Canton has publicly criticized the current leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of KS, accusing them of ignoring the real problems of employees and favoring another union which, they claim, does not represent the true interests of the workers.

The statement by the President of the Union's Management Board, Viktor Ćatić, states that the claims of "highest salaries" for police officers in the KS MUP are untrue and manipulative. According to him, the reality is completely different – MUP employees in Sarajevo have the lowest salaries in the region, while they face a huge workload, poor working conditions, and infrastructural problems on a daily basis.

"It is shameful that in a canton with the greatest security challenges and workload, police officers are on the brink of existence, while a false image of alleged privileges is created in public," the statement reads.

The Union particularly highlights the problem of poor working conditions in certain police stations. As an example, they cite the premises of the Hadžići Police Station, where, according to them, roofs leaked, tiles fell off, the heating was broken, and the lighting was faulty.

"Although we have repeatedly asked for help, the minister has not found it appropriate to visit these premises in the last two years. The renovation was fully carried out by the Municipality of Hadžići, to whom we thank on this occasion," Ćatić states.

They are particularly critical of the Ministry's alleged inactivity and irresponsibility regarding the equipping and protection of police officers. They remind that even after several years, the issue of bulletproof vests, which were purchased but never used due to technical malfunction, has not been resolved, and they express concern about body cameras that have been announced for years but have not been put into operation to date.

"Where are the body cameras that you pompously announced? The public has the right to know what happened to the more than 600,000 KM spent on their procurement."

The statement also criticizes the Ministry's "unprincipled partnership" with another union, which, they claim, "did not participate in negotiations and did not support initiatives for salary increases," but is publicly promoted and rewarded by the authorities.

At the end of the message, Ćatić emphasizes that the Union will not allow any minister or political advisor to dictate their views or impose a union direction.

"The minister is not here for himself, nor are the unions. We are all here for the employees and citizens. And we will continue to fight for them – openly, bravely, and independently."