HNK Government under fire from unions, one problem solved, three new ones emerge

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Union dissatisfaction has been most pronounced in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton in recent years.

Doctors and dentists fought for a new collective agreement, including through street protests, and the Police Union is on the verge of signing one, while medical workers have been protesting and staying in a tent next to the Government building for two and a half months, seeking their rights.

Negotiating teams of the Government and the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Police Union have successfully concluded negotiations on the drafting of a new collective agreement for the next two years, reports BHRT.

A statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that the union representatives showed understanding for the current economic situation and budgetary possibilities.

"I contacted Minister Bevanda, and he told me that both sides expressed satisfaction with what they agreed upon, expressing hope that there will be no problems with the Government, and that the Government will confirm the agreement," said Pero Pavlović, spokesperson for the HNK Government.

Fadil Čustović, from the HNK Police Union, said: "We had a quality document in the past period, so now only a small upgrade has been made.

We have achieved a satisfactory level and scope of rights for employees, and we have encountered a very satisfactory attitude and understanding from the Government's negotiating team."

Union members in primary and secondary education have also been dissatisfied so far. In addition to a new collective agreement, their priority is the payment of debts based on final court rulings, at a faster pace than foreseen in the 2021 budget. The last meeting with government representatives, however, brought back optimism. Slavko Lauš, president of the HNK Primary Education Union, explains: "The Prime Minister and our minister stated that they are ready to resolve our problems. However, let's wait 15 days, but I think better winds are coming for primary and secondary education."

Unlike the police, unions representing healthcare workers have not yet begun negotiations.

The Ministry, with the Municipal Court in Mostar's recent rejection of the request to end the strike, has been cornered, so the start of negotiations is expected at the beginning of next week. "We have been shown that the minister, for the first time since the Government's negotiating team was appointed, has sent invitations to team members to come for consultations on Monday, which means they will likely be developing a strategy for negotiations with the unions," said Dalibor Vuković, president of the HNK Healthcare Workers' Union.

"We believe that in this case too, the negotiating table will be the final solution and that, as with all other social partners, a mutually acceptable solution will be found," said Pero Pavlović, spokesperson for the HNK Government.

Healthcare unions believe that these two unions are the only ones completely independent of external influences, which is why, they claim, their fight for a collective agreement is harder than, for example, in the case of the Police Union. "We haven't seen a statement from the Police Union or anyone from their ranks come out of the Government building and joyfully say: 'We signed a good Collective Agreement.' As soon as the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced it, meaning the employer speaks on behalf of the union that the union has signed something, then you can imagine how much they are under control and what they have signed," Vuković pointed out. The Government, which is in a technical mandate, undoubtedly has a lot of work ahead of it. Social peace before the 2022 elections is most needed by the political parties that have been in power in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton since 2015, reports BHRT.