The Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy sent the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton a request to carry out an urgent inspection at PE Komunalno d.o.o. Mostar, after information about the termination of employment contracts for 18 workers of that public company, the Ministry announced.
The request was sent on the basis of a letter from the Independent Union of Utility Workers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which serious doubts were raised about the legality of the procedures carried out.
The Federal Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Adnan Delić, requested that the competent inspection, within the framework of its legal powers, supervise the implementation of the provisions of the FBiH Labor Law, including inspection supervision in the field of labor relations, the legality of the procedure for canceling employment contracts, the implementation of disciplinary procedures, respect for the right of workers to make a statement and defend themselves, the timely delivery of acts, the application of collective agreements and other regulations in the field of labor, as well as the fulfillment of the employer’s obligations to the trade union and the workers’ council, if they were applicable in the specific case.
In the union’s letter, it is stated that, according to the available information, the workers were not allowed to exercise their right to defense, that they were not properly invited to disciplinary hearings, nor were they provided with the documentation on the basis of which the proceedings were conducted in a timely manner.
Also, in the said letter, it is pointed out that some workers were deregistered from the mandatory insurance system before the procedures were completed and before the dismissal decisions were properly served, as well as that the Trade Union was not consulted in the procedure related to a larger number of employees, although there is a legal obligation to do so.
“The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy expects that the competent inspection will urgently determine all the facts and circumstances of this case and, if allegations of violations of the Labor Act are confirmed, take measures within its jurisdiction. The protection of the rights of every worker, the legality of the actions of employers and the prevention of any form of discrimination represent the obligation of the institutions and the basis of legal security in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina,”’Minister Delić concluded.
