BHRT Board: Without budget intervention we cannot comply with the FBiH Government's Decision on a minimum wage of 1,000 KM

(Patria) - The Board of Directors of Radio-Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina, considering the financial obligations further aggravated by the application of the Decision of the Government of the Federation of BiH on a minimum wage of 1,000 KM net, expressed great concern because consistent application of the Government's decision would lead to the closure of this public service and the impossibility of fulfilling basic obligations towards viewers, the public, but also suppliers and all those without whose services the service cannot function.

To comply with the application of the Decision, expenditure on net wages would need to be increased by an additional 1.5 million KM on a monthly basis. On an annual basis, this financial expenditure would be slightly less than 19 million KM, and we remind you, this is only the net amount.

BHRT, as the public and relevant BiH institutions are aware, does not have the revenue to ensure normal, regular functioning, and especially not now with this additional financial burden.

We remind you that BHRT's primary revenue comes from the RTV fee collected through electricity bills of JP Elektroprivreda BiH. Since 2017, RTRS has not paid a single convertible mark, although by law it is obliged to transfer 50% of the collected fee from the territory of Republika Srpska to BHRT's account. RTRS's debts to BHRT are in the millions. RTV Federation of BiH also has outstanding debts to BHRT. At the same time, the revenue from the RTV fee in the Federation of BiH is decreasing every month.

The Board of Directors and management have been warning for years about the violation of the Law on the Public RTV System of BiH and again call on relevant domestic and international institutions for help in solving the financing problem. Also regarding the application of the Government's Decision on the amount of the minimum wage, BHRT management sent a warning letter to domestic authorities and international institutions about BHRT's inability to comply with the Decision without budget intervention, but unfortunately, to date there has been no response.

Considering this issue, the Board of Directors today at its session stated that BHRT cannot in any way independently, with its own resources, overcome this financial obstacle. It was pointed out that the number of employees is constantly decreasing – as of December 31, 2024, BHRT had 788 employees, which is about a hundred fewer employees compared to the situation two years ago, note the BHRT Board of Directors.

Moratorium on further hiring

Preparing for the uncertain period ahead with the application of the FBiH Government's Decision, the Board of Directors introduced a moratorium on further hiring. Also, restrictive measures were introduced for program purchases and public procurement, reducing these items to the minimum necessary to maintain program production.

The Board of Directors appeals once again to the authorities to provide the missing funds for the relatively normal operation of BHRT, because this house, according to legal solutions, does not have mechanisms to secure additional sources of revenue.

Finally, we emphasize that the amount of the RTV fee, although it is a legal obligation, has not been adjusted to the inflation rate since March 2013 due to the non-functioning of the Committee of the System of Public RTV Services in BiH, which the public is also aware of, states the announcement of the BHRT Board of Directors.