Although the Government of Tuzla Canton allocated 3.7 million convertible marks for one-time assistance in the amount of 100 convertible marks to pensioners with the lowest incomes from this area, the payment with the August pensions, as predicted, will not come.
The reason is that a commission has not been formed at the Federal Ministry of Finance that will approve the transfer of funds, given that these funds cannot be paid directly due to jurisdiction, but through the Federal Institute of Pension and Disability Insurance.
“In the previous year, when this was realized, certain problems arose at the end of the budget year regarding the deregistration of those unplanned revenues. But the fact is that, apart from the Government of Tuzla Canton, certain local communities have taken this path with certain funds to help pensioners from their areas, and we have information, again unofficial, that they have been implemented. This upsets us the most, because the income, whether it is 50 convertible marks or 3 million and 700, has the same status”, explains the Minister for Labor and Social Policy in the Government of Tuzla Canton, Fadil Alić.
Considering that last year this kind of activity of the Government of Tuzla Canton was implemented without problems, pensioners doubt the political reasons for this year’s decision.
“I am afraid that there would be some kind of political background behind it. I don’t want us to drag politics into pensioners. I request that the Government of the Federation with the two relevant ministries, labor and social policy, the Ministry of Finance and the director of the federal PIO/MIO institute, solve this problem as soon as possible. Last year it went without any problems, there was a change of government, now we have a problem. “Let someone else solve the technical problems,” emphasizes Haso Halilović, president of the Union of Associations of Pensioners TC.
The cantonal prime minister and the relevant minister said from today’s meeting with the pensioners that they insist with the competent federal ministries that this problem be solved as soon as possible, and that the allocated funds be paid with one of the next pensions.