Amendments to the Law on Labor in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina were adopted in the first reading in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and foresee the introduction of an obligation for the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to organize a systematic review every four years for all employees who wish to do so.
This concerns all employees in Bosnia and Herzegovina. institutions, civil servants and state employees, of which there are approximately 23,000.
According to the adopted amendments to the Law, proposed by the representative of the SDP, Rejhana Dervišević, the systematic review goes to the account of the institution, i.e. the BiH budget.
– The employer is obliged, at the expense of the institution, for all employees, i.e. for employees who want it, to plan and organize a systematic examination in an authorized health institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina – it is written in the amendments to the Labor Law that passed the first round in the House of Representatives, where 30 representatives were in favor, all five from SNSD were against, and three abstained.
The method of conducting a systematic review should be regulated in detail by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina through a new rulebook, after (and if) the law is adopted in both houses of Bosnia and Herzegovina. of Parliament.
The application would start from January 1, 2027.
Representative Dervišević, in her proposal to amend the Labor Law, stated that for its implementation, “no additional financial resources are needed, given that they are planned in the BiH budget”.
It is unclear how they are planned in the budget when a systematic review for all employees is now not mandatory.
– The fact is that in Bosnia and Herzegovina there are no mandatory preventive health examinations at either the state or entity level, that is, there are no rules prescribing this. The reason for the adoption of this law is to preserve the working ability and quality of life of employees as well as their working life. Investing in prevention would ultimately reduce the allocation of a large sum of money for the treatment of conditions that could have been discovered and removed or mitigated in time and before more serious consequences for the health of employees – stated Dervišević in her explanation.
On the other hand, for example, the Labor Law of the FBiH, an entity with half a million employees and where the SDP is also part of the government, did not prescribe a regular systematic review for all employees as a legal obligation of the employer.
A medical examination is mandatory only when starting an employment relationship, and for risky jobs such as working at height.
Samir Kurtović, president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that the systematic review once a year for all employees was resolved through collective agreements for certain branches, such as civil servants and state employees in the entire FBiH.
– The only problem is in the real sector where employers do not use this right – added Kurtović.
He believes that a systematic review once every four years is too little, he writes Factor.
