USK Government Ready to Equalize Salary Base for Education Workers with Other Budget Users

BIHAĆ; (Patria) - The USK Government at today's session accepted the Information from the Negotiating Team of the Government of the Una-Sana Canton, which analyzed the demands of the cantonal committees of the Independent Trade Union of Primary Education and Upbringing and the Trade Union of Secondary and Higher Education, Upbringing, Science and Culture, whose fulfillment is conditioned by the cessation of the strike by education workers in the Una-Sana Canton. The Government has tasked Damir Omerdić, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, and Nermin Kljajić, Minister of Internal Affairs, as members of the Negotiating Team, to continue negotiations with the representatives of the education trade unions.

The aforementioned trade unions have made a Decision on the organization and holding of a strike of employees in public institutions of primary education and upbringing in the Una-Sana Canton and a Decision on the organization and holding of a strike of employees in public institutions of secondary education and upbringing in the Una-Sana Canton. The aforementioned decisions state the reasons for organizing the strike and highlight the demands related to the fulfillment of the economic and social rights of education workers.

As is known, the Government of the Una-Sana Canton has conducted intensive negotiations with the representatives of the primary and secondary education trade unions in order to reach an agreement. Unfortunately, the negotiations were unsuccessful, and in accordance with the Labor Law of the FBiH, a mediation procedure was carried out, which also did not end successfully, i.e., an adequate agreement was not reached.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Una-Sana Canton has submitted information on the mediation procedure and attached evidence that the strike of education workers was organized contrary to the provisions of the FBiH Strike Law, and proposed to the Government of the Una-Sana Canton a Conclusion on initiating court proceedings to determine the illegality of the organized strike, which the Government adopted and obliged the Cantonal Legal Affairs Office to initiate proceedings before the competent court.

In order to find a positive outcome from the situation arising from the organization of the strike, and for the benefit of the students, the Negotiating Team of the Government of the Una-Sana Canton proposes to the Government of the Una-Sana Canton to accept the stated demand of the primary and secondary education trade unions for equalizing rights with other employees who receive salaries from the Budget of the Una-Sana Canton, in terms of fully equalizing salaries of education employees with the salaries of employees in state administration bodies, in accordance with their respective professional qualifications.

Without prejudging the outcome of the court proceedings, the Negotiating Team considers it necessary, in the interest of the students, i.e., the start of the school year, for the Government of the Una-Sana Canton to make maximum efforts to reach an agreement with the trade unions. Therefore, we propose to the Government of the Una-Sana Canton that, in order to equalize their rights with other budget users and reach an agreement with the primary and secondary education trade unions of the Una-Sana Canton, it offers them several things in negotiations.

Firstly, the salary base in the identical amount as the established base for employees in state administration bodies, i.e., in the amount of 302 KM, the full equalization of coefficients of professional qualifications of employees in primary and secondary education with employees in state administration bodies, i.e., equalization of basic salaries of employees in primary and secondary education according to the level of education (secondary vocational education, higher vocational education, and university education) with the basic salaries of employees in state administration bodies according to the level of professional qualifications, recognition of the right to a monetary supplement for past work.

By accepting the trade unions' demands for equalizing their employment rights with other budget users, a long-standing injustice in differently paid salaries regarding unequal base amounts and unequal coefficients of professional qualifications would be rectified.

In order to implement the stated demands of the primary and secondary education trade unions, it is necessary to amend and supplement the Collective Agreement applicable to employees in primary and secondary education in the Una-Sana Canton.