Union Demands Urgent Meeting with Parliamentary Clubs: Dire Situation in Sarajevo Canton Civil Service

(Patria) - The Independent Union of Civil Servants and Employees of Sarajevo Canton has sent a request to the party clubs in the Sarajevo Canton Assembly for an urgent meeting regarding the alarming situation in the civil service of Sarajevo Canton.

The request was sent to the heads of the clubs of the People and Justice Party, Social Democratic Party of BiH, Our Party, Party of Democratic Action, Democratic Front-Željko Komšić, Party for BiH, For New Generations, and independent representatives.

“Dear members of the party clubs, we are addressing you on behalf of approximately 700 employees – the operational backbone of work in the civil service bodies of Sarajevo Canton (senior clerks, firefighters, and others), with the aim of scheduling an urgent meeting to resolve a burning issue that threatens a complete collapse and outflow of expert staff from public administration.

The current salary calculation system in Sarajevo Canton has led to a humiliating situation. Although the KS Government increased the base by 5%, in practice, a paradox occurred: workers with coefficients from 1.85 to 2.8 received a lower salary for December 2025 than in the previous period.

The reason lies in the fact that the salaries of workers with secondary vocational education are so low that they are equal to the salaries of unskilled workers, and they must be supplemented by law up to the amount of the guaranteed minimum wage.

With the increase in the base, the basic part fictitiously increases, but the supplement amount decreases, which ultimately results in a real reduction in income. While colleagues in other branches (police, education, healthcare) can adjust their coefficients through their collective agreements, employees in the civil service are "trapped" by the rigid Federal Law on Salaries and Benefits. Due to the inability to change coefficients, our income is becoming completely uncompetitive compared to the private sector and other budget users.

The consequences of this situation are already visible: mass departure of trained expert staff, loss of institutional memory and expertise, and a decline in the quality of services to the citizens of KS.

In the negotiations for a new Collective Agreement for civil servants and employees working in the civil service bodies of KS, additional funds have been secured within the budget possibilities, which is a clear signal that money can be found, but an adequate legal mechanism for its distribution to the most vulnerable is lacking.

Our proposals, which we would like to discuss with you and the Government, relate to the possibility of introducing a fixed salary supplement in the amount that these workers would realistically receive from the base increase if they were not "below the line" of the minimum wage, the possibility of paying assistance according to the FBiH Government's Decree, and urgent consideration of paying assistance as a transitional solution in accordance with the current Decree on assistance to workers.

We believe that the party clubs, as the legislative authority that adopts the Budget and oversees the work of the Government, must be informed of this injustice. We are not seeking privileges, we are seeking dignity and protection for the work of those on whose shoulders the operational work of the canton rests.

The President of the Independent Union of Civil Servants and Employees of Sarajevo Canton, Elvis Zornić, explained that for the past two years, they have been constantly pointing out and warning about this problem.

He added that the Union expects a meeting to be held where they will present detailed proposals for overcoming this crisis.