Under the slogan “There is no surrender, you must persevere”, a protest was held in Banja Luka today by workers employed in public administration, internal affairs, the judiciary and the health sector because their salaries were not increased in accordance with the previous agreement with representatives of the BiH authorities of the entity Republika Srpska.
After the gathering of hundreds of workers in the park “Mladen Stojanović” in Banja Luka, they went to Trg Krajina, where they were addressed by the presidents of the trade union organizations. Trade union representatives submitted their demands during a protest walk in the RS Government building.
Božo Marić, president of the Trade Union of the Administration of the RS, said that the trade union organizations came out today to express their dissatisfaction with the work of the Government of the RS as their employer.
“The government of the RS treats some of the workers who are employers in a stepmotherly manner, while it behaves responsibly towards others,” he said and clarified that these workers are denied the right to separately claim compensation for a hot meal and compensation for vacation.
He emphasized that they have submitted a request to amend all wage laws and to set aside these benefits separately and to provide them with an additional 160 BAM salary increase for workers.
“The second request is related to the urgent payment of contributions and solving this problem, because it is a disgrace and a shame that health care workers who treat people do not have the right to health care. The third request refers to overtime work. You heard from colleagues that they have millions of hours, over million overtime and unpaid working hours and that in this way they donated over 13.5 million BAM to the Government of the RS,” said Marić.
He added that with the fourth request, they are asking that the Government of the RS finally conclude collective agreements for employees in municipal and city administrations, because they are “left at the mercy of all.”
He said that three days ago they had a meeting with the President, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the RS and that it was agreed to meet again in the first week of November.
“If there is no solution to this problem, we will reorganize and take to the streets of Banja Luka in a much larger and larger number,” he said.
The protests were organized by the RS Administration Union, the RS Internal Affairs Workers Union, the RS Professional Union of Doctors of Medicine, the RS Professional Union of Nurses and Technicians, the Independent Health and Social Welfare Workers Union of the RS and the RS Judiciary Union, on the occasion of, as they stated, “non-increase in wages in in accordance with the signed Agreement on harmonizing and increasing wages and other accumulated problems”.
The presidents of the six trade unions said in their address to the gathered that they are demanding that the wages of the workers be increased by 160 BAsm and that they will not give up the fight for their rights.
