NUB employees protest: Pension resolution prepared for director Ismet Ovčina, he confiscated the seal

(Patria) - Employees of the National and University Library of BiH (NUBBiH) gathered today in front of the library building to point out the catastrophic state of the NUB.

They have not received salaries for almost four months, and have been enduring mobbing from director Ismet Ovčina for years.

"Given that we have not had a management or supervisory board for years, Ismet Ovčina is not an authorized person in the court register for NUB's activities. We acted within the legal framework and prepared a pension resolution, signed by the professional collegium, but we cannot affix the seal because our secretary told us that the director took it and hid it. She told us that she does not have the authority to give us the seal," the employees stated.

Almir Šehalić, president of the association of BiH publishers, stated that the National and University Library is "our treasure and no citizen should be without it".

"Employees have gathered the courage after years and years of mobbing. I hope this will bear fruit and that government representatives will find a real solution for NUB and these people," Šehalić said.

He stated that politicians need to take urgent measures to resolve this pressing issue.

Yesterday, a meeting was held at the initiative of the Minister of Education and Science of Sarajevo Canton, Prof. Dr. Adna Mesihović.

In addition to the hosts, Sarajevo Canton Prime Minister Nihad Uk, Minister Mesihović, and Minister of Culture and Sports Kenan Magoda, the Federal Minister of Education and Science Jasna Duraković, as well as the Federal Minister of Culture and Sports Sanja Vlaisavljević, responded to the invitation. The state Ministry of Civil Affairs was represented by Assistant Minister Suad Džafić, and representing NUB BiH were the library director Ismet Ovčina, as well as a representative of the institution's Employees' Council.

"I am pleased to see the synergy and sincere desire of all levels of government to resolve the problem of NUB BiH, as well as other state cultural institutions. I believe we are on the right track for these institutions to finally start thinking about improving their work and services, not just about mere survival," stated Prime Minister Uk.

Minister Mesihović had previously announced this meeting and the initiative from her ministry to discuss finding solutions for the challenges faced by NUB BiH employees.

The meeting discussed the Law on Co-financing of Cultural Institutions founded by BiH, which was passed in April 2024.

Speaking about the aforementioned law, for which the Sarajevo Canton has taken over co-financing due to their unresolved long-standing status, Minister Mesihović emphasized that the ministry she heads has fulfilled its co-financing obligation, and that this year it co-financed this institution according to the available funds in the Sarajevo Canton Budget for 2024, in the amount of 220,000 KM.

"As a minister appointed in November last year, I did not participate in the drafting of the Sarajevo Canton Budget Proposal and Draft for 2024, and the Law began to be applied in the meantime. The Law gave us a legal basis for allocating funds for the payment of co-financing amounts, which was not the case before. Today, we received a lot of information that gave us a clear picture of the core problem in NUB's operations and work. Poor management and a poor management structure have been identified as the main problem and cause of the current state of NUB," Minister Mesihović emphasized on this occasion.

She also highlighted the problem of the director's lack of transparency in his work, as well as the lack of transparency towards institutions that have been co-financing NUB BiH for years.

As stated at the meeting itself, there is a lack of precise information about the total allocated funds, how they were spent, and how it came to the situation where funds for employee salaries are missing.

Summarizing the presented amounts, it was estimated that the funds allocated from all levels of government in previous years should have been sufficient for the normal operation of this institution.

"When the Employees' Council is involved in the process of changing the current management, and when insights into the institution's revenues and expenditures are made, according to everyone's promises, additional efforts will be made to overcome the current situation interventively and to create a plan for future action," stated Minister Mesihović.

Minister Magoda sent a joint message from the meeting to employees in all institutions, stating that support for NUB from all levels of government has never been in question and will not be withheld.

"We are hostages of poor management, which hides when pointed at. Due to poor management, employees are prevented from receiving salaries for April, May, and June because director Ovčina's applications for funds from this ministry were insufficient for their salaries. Employees should know this, as no one wants to endure the terror of a director who should have retired long ago," said Minister Magoda.

Minister Duraković agreed that NUB's biggest problem is precisely director Ismet Ovčina, who has acted very non-transparently in the past few years, not justifying the large funds that have arrived at the institution.

"Some funds allocated to us were even returned to the Federal Ministry of Education and Science, about 190,000 KM, because the incompetent management failed to use them for their intended purpose. We are absolutely on the side of the employees, and we will strive to find a permanent solution together. We need the involvement of all instances. Our intention is to address the change of management structures of all seven scientific and cultural institutions at the state level. The idea is for us, as the federal government, to resolve the issue of co-financing, i.e., salary payments to employees, through a lex specialis law, while the state retains the authority to appoint management structures. This is a long process, but we have a direction to follow. I call on employees to review all past operations, to act themselves to preserve their institution, and for director Ovčina to finally retire, which he should have done a year and a half ago," said Minister Duraković.

The Minister of Culture and Sports of FBiH, Sanja Vlaisavljević, also expressed satisfaction with the unified stance of all ministers on this issue.

"The representative of the Employees' Council told us today that their first request is a change in the management structure of this institution. Such a stance clearly indicates where the problem lies. As ministers, we are in constant communication, and we meticulously monitor the inflow of funds into this institution. The problem arose due to very questionable justifications of funds, in this and some other institutions. Therefore, I am convinced that these very problems that are being addressed to us will be resolved because we are sure that the provided funds are sufficient not only for salaries but also for some other expenses. The problems being manipulated in the public sphere come precisely from institutions where the heads should have retired. This is a clear message to the employees who are collateral damage of the current management. We know where the key problem is and where to look for a solution," Minister Vlaisavljević stated in her address.

With a joint statement, the ministers sent a clear message: all ministries regularly communicate and cooperate when it comes to monitoring the work and sustainability of cultural institutions, in accordance with their competencies, and that NUB BiH employees have full support to initiate all necessary procedures to resolve the core problem, which is the non-transparent work of NUB BiH's management structures.