Employees in the public sector in Brčko District could soon go on a general strike, if the government does not give them a positive answer regarding salary increases by Monday at 12 noon. The trade union reduced the earlier request, and the final and lowest offer was sent to the Government today.
For the first time in its history, Brčko District could find itself in a situation where all employees of public institutions are on a general strike. Namely, negotiations between the Government of Brčko District and the Trade Union of the District have been going on for a certain period regarding the linear increase in wages and the signing of a general collective agreement.
After the warning strike and the May Day protest walk, the workers of public institutions, above all those with the lowest salaries, gathered in a single trade union, gave the Brčko District Government a deadline to fulfill their demands. It is due to Monday at 12 o’clock, otherwise the activation of the general strike will follow, it was confirmed for Klix.ba.
“Today, we sent a written letter to the Government of the Brčko District, that is, to the mayor and deputy mayors, with our demands, which have been reduced to the maximum. We gave them until Monday at 12 noon by which they should respond to us whether they accept or not. If they do not respond to us or not accept the request, we will pass the only legal measure at the union presidency, which is to go on a general strike,” said the president of the union, Igor Babić, for Klix.ba.
The union originally asked the Brčko District Government for a linear salary increase for all employees in the amount of 250 BAM each. Given that the government did not comply with them in that context, the requirements were relaxed and they are now at a minimum. As Babić points out, there is no further correction.
“We are not giving up on the demand for a linear salary increase of 100 BAM, with the addition that, in addition to the promised increase of five percent, the salary of employees with secondary education and lower categories should be immediately increased by that much more. For this purpose, an amount of 800 thousands of convertible marks”, Babić explained.
The last meeting of representatives of the union and the government was held on Tuesday, and considering that the rebalancing of the district budget is being prepared, there is no time to wait.
After the last meeting, the mayor of Brčko District, Zijad Nišić, said that the authorities and trade unionists are in the so-called reconciliation process. He assessed the last conversations as correct.
“We in the government have remained at the same position, which is to increase the salary by five percent from July 1 this year and another five percent from the new year, in addition to travel expenses, which should also start to be paid from next year. We have accepted the obligation to establish a collective agreement by the end of this year. They insisted on a collective agreement, which will certainly be fulfilled as a condition and on a linear salary increase, i.e. reduction from the requested 250 BAM to 100 BAM,” said Nišić.
He considers the above as a shift and understanding of the Trade Union in relation to the economic reality.
“If we were to turn it into a monetary amount, I think that the Government’s offer and what they are asking for in the Trade Union are absolutely the same value and that our proposal is a long-term benefit for employees in the public administration and other institutions, so our position is very close and we expect a quick solution “, said Nišić.
Nišić also pointed out that, as was said before, the first salary class is being abolished and that the Government’s offer is very fair and that he hopes that there will be no strike.
“They insisted on increasing the salaries of the lowest-paid positions, and we accepted that the first salary class be deleted, which is precisely those positions, and that a third subclass be installed in the second class, which will improve the category of the lowest salaries. We expect that the negotiations are going in the right direction, that the elements pointing to the reasons for the strike have been exhausted and that it should not happen. I think we have offered a solution that is really compatible with our budgetary possibilities, as well as with the demands they proposed,” Nišić said.
The officers and employees of the Basic Court of Brčko District already went on strike today, which is taking place in accordance with positive legal regulations. Employees respect the minimum work process.
Therefore, the strike of the employees takes place at the workplace, and there are no disruptions in the work in the register of land and business entities, while the registry office receives those submissions that are related to urgent procedures and the issuance of various certificates that cannot tolerate delay in order not to cause damage to users.
