The president of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SSSBiH), Selvedin Satorovic, said yesterday in Sarajevo that the unions will not give up their fight for the adoption of the Law on Minimum Wage, which will define it in the amount of 1.000 BAM.
In the May Day Proclamation, he stated that they are aware that 1.000 BAM is not enough, but even that would certainly be a great help to tens of thousands of workers who now receive 596 BAM.
He added that at this moment, unfortunately, thousands of our colleagues are looking for a way to leave the country forever in search of a safer and more dignified life, while employers “complain” that there is not enough labor and want to replace our people with workers from Asia and Africa.
“We have nothing against freedom of movement of workers or colleagues from any part of the world. What we are against is the fact that employers are not ready to offer our people the conditions they offer to foreign workers. We will not accept that our workers are seen as an expense, and not as those who enable these same employers to live comfortably,” Satorovic stated.
He emphasized that employers forget, intentionally or accidentally, that work and the worker create profit and that both employers and the state live from them, and that the least that workers deserve is to be adequately paid for their work and to be able to live with dignity in their homeland, with their families and friends.
Satorovic specified that the total income of all companies in the Federation of BiH (FBiH) during 2022 amounted to 68.3 billion BAM, which is 11.99 billion BAM more than the previous year, of which the net profit is almost four billion BAM – and they say that there is no money for salary increases.
Moreover, Satorovic emphasized that employers say that the minimum wage of 1.000 BAM is unrealistic and that they will go bankrupt, “and they say all this in suits that cost 10 minimum wages while they are planning which exotic destination they will spend their vacation in this year and choosing a new luxury car – keeping silent about the fact that they record multimillion profits year after year at the expense of these workers.”
“For the past eight years, the Government of the FBiH has done everything to destroy the labor movement, shut down unions, and abolish as many workers’ rights as possible. With each new bill, fewer rights were proposed for workers. It worked to the advantage of all employers who forbade organization of workers’ unions, supported them in avoiding collective bargaining and signing collective agreements,” Satorovic added.
He underlined that they also condemn all union representatives who actively participate in the campaign to destroy workers’ rights and that it is unacceptable for any union member to agree to any offers that throw dust in the workers’ eyes and benefit the employers and the Government.
“The goal must be full employment, with dignified work for everyone, the formalization of informal work, and the abolition of precarious work,” Satorovic concluded.
