Unions of State and Police Employees Write to BiH Council of Ministers: Find a Way to Pay One-Time Financial Aid

(Patria) - The Independent Union of Civil Servants and Employees in BiH Institutions, the Union of Police Agencies of BiH, and the Union of the Indirect Taxation Authority sent a letter last week to the BiH Council of Ministers, the Chairwoman of the BiH Council of Ministers Borjana Krišto, and all state ministers, requesting the payment of one-time financial aid to employees in BiH institutions.

"Given the continuous price increases and inflation in BiH over the past year, as well as the efforts of lower levels of government to help employees overcome the difficult financial situation through various benefits, both in the form of one-time financial aid and salary increases, we call on you to find a way, by allocating from reserve funds or otherwise, to pay one-time financial aid to employees in BiH institutions and thus show that someone is taking care of us as well," the letter states.

The unions remind the state authorities that at the entity level, and even at the cantonal level where salaries and incomes are higher compared to employees in BiH institutions, decisions have been made to allocate funds and pay one-time aid to employees of administrative bodies and other organizations from the FBiH Budget in the amount of 1,260 KM per employee, excluding elected officials and holders of executive functions.

"As representative unions representing employees in BiH institutions, we call on you once again to show readiness and responsibility towards employees and find a way to pay one-time financial aid in an amount that can be secured through the reallocation of budget funds or from budget reserve funds," they conclude.

The decision of the FBiH Government prescribed a maximum payment of 2,520 KM until June 2024, and it is up to employers to decide how they will pay it and whether they will act on the FBiH Government's decision at all.