The representative trade unions operating in the company “Railways of the Federation of BiH” warn about the difficult state of the railway infrastructure and the poor material position of the workers and demand an immediate reaction from the authorities, and in the absence of concrete steps, they announce the taking of all measures provided for by law and a general strike.
The trade unions sent their demands to the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, the Government of the FBiH, the federal Ministry of Transport and Communications, as well as the Management and Supervisory Board of the company.
At yesterday’s meeting, the trade unions stated that the previous budget allocations for the maintenance of railway infrastructure are insufficient and that they directly threaten the safety of railway traffic in FBiH.
The trade unions are asking the FBiH Parliament to increase the funds for railway infrastructure maintenance from 24 million BAM to 62 million BAM when adopting the budget for this year, federal media reports.
Trade union organizations demand from the FBiH Government and the competent ministry that a negotiation team be formed within ten days at the latest to conclude a new branch collective agreement for railway workers.
The existing collective agreement, as they state, expired on December 31, 2025, and the financial position of the workers is extremely bad.
According to their statements, about 80 percent of employees in “Railways of the FBiH” receive a salary that is only slightly above the federal minimum wage of 1,027 BAM.
From the Management Board and the Supervisory Board of “Željeznica FBiH”, the trade unions demand urgent measures to be taken to ensure the legal and safe running of railway traffic, considering, as they claim, years of inadequate investment in infrastructure.
They also demand that the workers be immediately provided with official and protective clothing and footwear, which many did not receive, even though the deadlines for the previous allocation expired more than two years ago.
The union points out that starting on January 19, they will schedule and organize worker protests and schedule a general strike at the company “Željeznice FBiH”.
“The current situation is impossible for work and the safety of transporting passengers and goods is absolutely threatened, while the labor and material status has never been worse,” the unionists concluded.
