Regarding the statement of the Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Edin Forte, made in connection with the allegations of sick leave of employees of the BiH Air Navigation Services Agency (BHANSA), we consider it our obligation to provide accurate information to the public and the competent institutions, the Air Traffic Controllers’ Union announced.
Namely, contrary to the claim that “there is no reduction in salaries”, we inform the public that in the past three months – for March, April and May 2025 – BHANSA employees were paid salaries in the amount of only 80% of the full amount, which represents a direct reduction in guaranteed workers’ rights, they said.
“The representative unions of BHANSA have sent a letter to the office of Minister Forte twice in the past period with a request for a meeting on the topic of establishing minimum work processes, but as of the date of writing this letter, we have still not received any response.”
They also point out that the unions have nothing to do with the sick leave that BHANSA employees open, nor are they in any way involved in the procedures related to the individual rights of workers based on their health conditions.
“However, as Minister Forto stated in his statement that, if there are certain demands, they should be presented – we use this opportunity to emphasize once again that the representative unions and the association have a specific and clear demand that they have already expressed twice in the previous period: the urgent scheduling of a meeting on the topic of adopting minimum work processes.”
The Union recalls that at a meeting held in April this year in the presence of union representatives, Minister Forto personally stated that, after the Council of Ministers makes the relevant decision, he will be ready to respond to the request for a meeting and sit down with the unions to discuss and negotiate minimum work processes.
“Given that the decision has been made, we believe that it is high time that the promise is fulfilled. We emphasize that the minimum work processes are a document that is developed and adopted exclusively with the consent of the union, and no party can unilaterally adopt them. We emphasize that the minimum processes in BHANSA have not been adopted since 2014, which violates the obligations under labor legislation and opens up space for serious disruptions in the system.”
The union states that at an earlier meeting last year with the Agency’s Management, the representative unions clearly expressed their readiness to agree and establish realistic minimum processes.
“However, the Administration’s offer was completely unacceptable – that the minimum processes be equivalent to full working capacity, which essentially renders the very concept of the minimum work process meaningless and represents an attempt to derogate from the rights of employees and trade union activities. BHANSA employees, including trade union representatives, are always committed to preserving air traffic safety and fulfilling BiH’s international obligations. However, this must be accompanied by dialogue, respect for the law and workers’ rights, and not by unfounded suspicions and unilateral statements that further undermine trust.”
