Bosnian Serb Unions Protest Over Wage Cuts

Unions have announced protests in Banja Luka for Thursday, when the Republika Srpska assembly is due to discuss the 2017 budget for the Serb-run entity.

As an introduction to Thursday's protests, unions representing the judiciary on Wednesday organized a one-hour strike between 11am and midday. 

The RS government says it is not cutting salaries but cutting the compensation paid for past years' work, which is paid as a supplement to workers' salaries. 

This compensation is worth 0.5 per cent of the basic salary for each year of service. The government wants to cut it to 0.3 per cent. 

According to union estimates, workers stand to lose an average of 40 Bosnian marks [about 20 euros] a month. The government says it will save money.

In a bid to head off strikes, the government adapted the proposal and offered to keep the percentage at 0.5 for workers with over 25 years in service. Unions rejected the compromise.

"The workers will not accept the announced cuts in wages and will use all available methods to save their rights," Ranka Misic, president of the RS Trade Unions, told BIRN.

According to the data of the unions, the average monthly pay of teachers and police in the RS ranges between 800 and 1,100 marks [400-550 euros] a month.

The budget, due to be debated on Thursday by the RS parliament, limits the total public sector wage bill to 717 million marks, which is only achievable by cutting the compensation paid for past years' of work, Republika Srpska Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic said, calling union protests unjustified. 

"The fund for salaries is limited. We think this is better than sending home a number of employees and leaving them without any income," Cvijanovic said on Tuesday.

The RS...