KS Government in the Final Stretch: Budget Proposal for 2025 Prepared on Sunday, No Ear for Unions and Base Salary Negotiations

(Patria) - For the KS Government, Sunday was a working day. KS ministers and Prime Minister Nihad Uk were yesterday in the KS Government building trying to finalize the KS Budget Proposal for 2025.

However, as confirmed to Patria, although some ministers support the increase of the base salary calculation from 385 to 425 KM, there are also resistances within the KS Government itself to this increase.

On Friday, March 7, the Coordination of Trade Unions submitted a request to the Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton, Nihad Uk, for a meeting to discuss the collective bargaining process and salary increases in the public sector of Sarajevo Canton, and to agree on the amount of the base salary for 2025 and the date for signing the agreement on the agreed base salary.

There has been no response to this request yet. This morning, the president of the Trade Union of Primary Education and Upbringing of KS, Saudin Sivro, submitted a request through the protocol of the KS Government.

As stated by the Coordination of Trade Unions, the Decision on Temporary Financing expires in three weeks, and after its expiration, everything paid from the Sarajevo Canton budget will be blocked, except for loan obligations. Without the adopted budget of Sarajevo Canton, there will be no salary payments for over 16,000 public sector workers.

"The Coordination of Trade Unions is requesting an increase in the base salary calculation from 385 KM to 425 KM. The Coordination of Trade Unions in Sarajevo Canton represents over 25,000 workers in Sarajevo Canton and consists of seven trade unions (Independent Trade Union of Primary Education and Upbringing of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Cantonal Board of SSOOiO Sarajevo Canton, Trade Union of Police of Sarajevo Canton, Independent Trade Union of Civil Servants and Employees of Sarajevo Canton, Independent Trade Union of Civil Servants and Employees in State Administration Bodies, Judiciary and Public Institutions in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Coordination of Sarajevo Canton, Trade Union of Secondary and Higher Education, Upbringing, Science and Culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Cantonal Board of Sarajevo Canton, Trade Union of Healthcare Workers in Sarajevo Canton, and Independent Trade Union of Workers in the Communal Economy of Sarajevo Canton)," it was announced.

We remind you that the Minister of Finance, Afan Kalamujić, publicly called on ministers to act rationally and in accordance with the budget, stating that there is no room for popular projects in the new budget.

The Speaker of the KS Assembly, Elvedin Okerić, stated last week that he expects the KS Government to act responsibly and to submit the Budget Proposal for 2025 to the KS Assembly as soon as possible.

The Draft Budget was adopted at the end of November in the amount of 1,478,805,000 KM.