Although the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted amendments to the Law on Salaries and Remuneration in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, trade unions at the Bosnia and Herzegovina level are not giving up on the strike announced for March 31 at 12 noon.
Namely, one of the conditions of the three representative trade unions from the BiH level since last year was the adoption of amendments to the Law on Salaries and Remunerations in the Institutions of BiH. With those changes, the base for salary calculation would be applied from January 1, and not, as is the case now, when the increased base is applied from the day the budget is adopted.
The budget of BiH institutions is rarely adopted on time
In practice, this meant that the salary base for workers was increased, but they did not receive higher wages until the budget was adopted.
As a rule, the budget of BiH institutions is rarely adopted on time, and usually at the end of the year.
Also, amendments to the Law on Wages and Remunerations in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina provide that workers can be paid the difference between the existing salary and the increased base retroactively.
“Amendments to the law have been adopted, but we still stand by organizing the protest. We will not be paid higher salaries, but only the law allows us to be paid retroactively increased salaries due to the increased base and nothing else. We will receive higher salaries when the budget for this year is adopted,” said Radenko Mirković, president of the Independent Union of Civil Servants and BiH Employees.
Current base for salary calculation
Currently, the base for salary calculation that is being applied refers to the one from 2025 and amounts to 631.5 KM.
In July of last year, the BiH Council of Ministers made a decision that the new base for 2026 is 690.86 KM.
However, due to the failure to adopt the budget, the workers receive a salary based on the base from 2025, because the budget was last adopted for that year, and in essence, the workers’ salary was increased on paper, but in practice they receive the same amount of money.
Adopted amendment
When it comes to amending the Law on Salaries and Remunerations in BiH Institutions, in relation to the House of Representatives, the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH adopted an amendment stating that the provision on the application of the base from January 1 and retroactive payment does not apply to appointed and elected officials.
More precisely, it does not apply to the chairmen and deputy chairmen of the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples, then the advisers of the chairmen and deputy chairmen of the houses, as well as the chairmen of the working committees of both houses and the chairmen of the clubs in the houses of the people. This provision shall not apply to MPs and delegates in the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples, nor to members of the BiH Presidency, the chairman of the Council of Ministers, his deputies, heads of cabinet of the members of the Presidency, ministers, nor to advisors to ministers, members of the Presidency and the chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH.
“The amendment was adopted. Now the commissions from the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples are being formed and the text is being harmonized, and then it has to be confirmed by the House of Representatives. That’s the procedure, I don’t think there will be any problems, but it will certainly take about a month,” said Mirković.
As a reminder, amendments to the Law on Salaries and Remunerations in BiH Institutions were adopted in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH at the end of last year, however, in the House of Peoples on several occasions they were on the agenda, but due to the interruption of the session, they were not adopted, they write. Independent newspaper.
