SIPA Union: We hope for support to increase salaries

The president of the Union of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA Union) Danijel Ilić presented the Union's position on the correction of coefficients for calculating salaries of police officers. This demand of the police officers is also supported by the Minister of Security of BiH Dragan Mektić, as well as by most parliamentary clubs in the BiH Parliament. A series of meetings on this topic have been held with Minister Mektić, writes Patria.

- The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina also discussed the need to harmonize the salaries of police officers at its 73rd session held on 09/15/2016, at which time a conclusion was adopted tasking the Ministry of Security to prepare a comprehensive report on the matter. Based on the aforementioned conclusion, the Ministry of Security, together with the Trade Union Alliance, prepared a Report in which the demands of the Trade Union Alliance of Police Bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina were fully respected, which, according to our information, has been submitted to the Council of Ministers of BiH for review – state the SIPA Union.

The Union notes that they only asked for the correction of a long-standing injustice done to police officers in salary calculations, according to which civil servants and employees have a higher base salary than police officers.

- The Union of the State Investigation and Protection Agency asks the ministers in the Council of Ministers to carefully consider the proposals and explanations of the Trade Union Alliance of Police Bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the correction of coefficients, and not to be guided by the opinions of "expert advisors" – civil servants who consider themselves aggrieved in this case and give negative opinions and comments on the proposed solutions.

The Union of the State Investigation and Protection Agency concludes that police officers will continue to work towards creating a safer environment for all citizens, but they hope that the Council of Ministers and the deputies in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina will provide support for the mentioned minimal demands of the Trade Union Alliance of Police Bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in addition to declarative support.