The Prime Minister, vice-presidents and ministers in the Government of Republika Srpska (RS) will receive their second salary increase this year, following an earlier five percent raise that took effect on April 1. The latest increase, also set at five percent, will come into force in August, further widening the gap between the earnings of senior officials and those of average workers.
The salary adjustment applies not only to employees in the public sector, healthcare and the police but also to the highest-ranking members of the RS executive government. As a result, the salaries of the prime minister and ministers will remain several times higher than the average wage in Republika Srpska.
Under the new salary scale, the Prime Minister’s monthly gross salary will amount to 9,246.65 KM, while the Deputy Prime Minister will receive 8,111.84 KM. Ministers’ monthly gross salaries will increase to 6,977.03 KM.
The raises have reignited debate over income inequality in Republika Srpska, particularly given that roughly one-third of workers earn only the minimum wage. At the same time, the cost of living continues to rise, with the consumer basket estimated at nearly 3,000 KM, about half of which is spent on food.
Murisa Marić from the Prijedor-based consumer association “DON” said every salary increase for government officials triggers public dissatisfaction, but that citizens have no effective mechanism to oppose such decisions.
“Every increase causes indignation, but that indignation obviously has no effect in our country. They raise their own salaries, and there is no mechanism to stop it. The value of the consumer basket continues to grow, and we spend almost half of our income on food, which shows that we are not merely on the brink of poverty but are already a very poor society,” Marić said.
Many citizens acknowledge that wages across the country remain low, although opinions on the salaries of government officials vary.
Communication specialist Mladen Bubonjić argued that the issue is not solely the amount officials earn but the accountability that should accompany such positions.
“We cannot discuss these salaries in isolation because they reflect the formal authority of these positions. The real question is what citizens receive in return. Independent institutions should focus on investigating potential abuses, not salaries themselves, but public procurement, tenders, competitions and everything related to the management of public funds,” Bubonjić said.
The latest increase has also revived public discussion surrounding previous remarks by RS Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Sava Minić, who argued that ministers should receive exceptionally high salaries because they are expected to work around the clock.
However, analysts argue that amid declining living standards and persistent inflation, the results of the executive government’s work remain largely invisible to citizens, making the latest salary increases particularly controversial.
