Concession to HDZ: If the FBiH Government's decision is respected, unqualified personnel will head the Railways!

The Railways of Federation of BiH have not been able to appoint a Management Board since 2015, and the FBiH Government recently accepted the Information on the problems of constituting the Management Board of the Public Enterprise Railways of FBiH, however, what these problems are and what this information entails is unclear even to the management of the Railways, writes the Patria news agency.

In fact, things are clear, according to our sources from the FBiH Government. It is again a concession to HDZ BiH, because their candidate (Zulfo Robović) does not meet the conditions required by the competition, so now the ministers of SDA and SBB, led by Prime Minister Fadil Novalić, have made a concession that would ultimately be very unfavorable for the Railways of FBiH.

The FBiH Government has tasked the Supervisory Board and the Management Board of the Railways of FBiH to immediately amend the Statute and harmonize the Rulebook of Work, and for the Supervisory Board to announce a new competition for the selection and appointment of members of the Management Board of the Railways. Jadranko Stojkić, president of the Supervisory Board of the Railways of FBiH, told Patria that he is not aware of the scope of the amendments to be made, and that he will contact the FBiH Ministry of Transport and Communications for additional information in order to convene a session.

However, Patria has learned that the FBiH Government wants to harmonize the Statute and the Rulebook of Work, and that the competition will no longer require the possession of a diploma from the Rulebook on professional qualifications of employees directly involved in railway traffic (646). HDZ's candidate Robović does not have such a qualification, although he was allowed to take the exam, which makes the letter sent to Patria by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, i.e., Minister Denis Lasić (HDZ), even more surprising.

- For appointments made in the past period, acting officials for the position of Executive Director for Legal and Personnel Affairs did not accept the appointment, i.e., did not sign a contract with JPŽFBiH, even though the Government gave its prior consent to the appointments. Also, in the competition for the selection and appointment of members of the Management Board - Executive Directors of JPŽFBiH d.o.o. Sarajevo, certain conditions were required for the positions of Executive Director for Railway Infrastructure Affairs and Executive Director for Railway Operator Affairs, which are not determined by the Company's Statute as its basic act, but by the Company's Rulebook of Work, thus discriminating to some extent against persons applying for Management Board positions due to conditions set by the Company's internal act - say the FBiH Ministry of Transport and Communications.

For example, all countries in the region, as well as the BiH entity Republika Srpska, use this rulebook, and industry professionals emphasize that it would be disastrous for the Railways if unqualified individuals were appointed to the Management Board.

- How can someone talk about discrimination when everyone is allowed to take the exam. It's not rocket science - says our source from the FBiH Government, emphasizing that HDZ cadres did not want to consider the possibility of another candidate.

The Railways of FBiH also reiterated that the FBiH Government's conclusion does not specify in which part the Statute should be amended and the Rulebook of Work harmonized.

- The Statute and the Rulebook of Work are harmonized with legal regulations. The Statute and all amendments to the Statute have been notarized, and the FBiH Government has approved the Statute and all its amendments - say the Railways of FBiH.

WHO IS ROBOVIĆ

Zulfo Robović is one of the former ministers in the former government of HR HB, and he publicly advocated for the so-called Herceg-Bosna.

- Herceg-Bosna created a framework and one of the models for the possible organization of BiH which, in my opinion, would be a catalyst for development in approaching European standards for multinational state communities within the EU. Denying the value of the model shown by HR HB is obstructing BiH's European path - Robović commented for DW.

COMPETITION ANNULLED

JP ŽFBiH d.o.o. Sarajevo is not aware of the problems regarding the constitution of the Management Board of JP ŽFBiH d.o.o. Sarajevo, nor of the content of the aforementioned information.

- The Supervisory Board of JP ŽFBiH d.o.o. Sarajevo is responsible for conducting the competition procedure and appointing the competition commission, which has submitted a list of candidates who meet the competition requirements to the FBiH Government. JP ŽFBiH d.o.o. Sarajevo is not aware of the reasons why the competition for the selection and appointment of members of the Management Board of JP ŽFBiH d.o.o. Sarajevo is being annulled, and we are not aware of anything in the competition that is illegal - say the Railways.