Representatives of miners in Bosnia's Federation (FBiH) entity reached an agreement with FBiH Energy and Mining Minister Nermin Dzindic and the parent company Elektroprivreda BiH, on Wednesday, on the restructuring of coal mines in this entity.

Minister Nermin Dzindic said that they agreed that “the concept of restructuring has no alternative”. The agreement “obliges Elektroprivreda BiH (EP BiH) to settle all obligations towards employees who have acquired the conditions for retirement.”

“The signatories of the agreement undertake that the restructuring of mines will be realized by the end of 2023. Disposal of redundant workers will be done in a socially acceptable manner – via natural outflow, re-qualification and additional qualification funded by Elektroprivreda BiH, transfer to another company, agreed termination with payment of severance pay, etc. The signatories agree that they will draft a new rulebook on work and work performance, respecting the provisions of the Collective Agreement. The EP BiH is committed to ensuring continued investment in the mines. The independent union of the FBiH mine workers reserves the right to activate a strike and a protest rally in case of non-compliance with the agreement,” stated Dzindic.

He noted that the goal is to bring the mines into independent and efficient functioning on their work. This means that they have to be able to earn enough revenue to pay for their expenses, contributions, taxes, materials, etc.
The head of the Independent Trade Union of Workers in the FBiH Mines, Sinan Husic, said that the agreement guarantees the retirement of 419 workers by 2021.

“Miners in FBiH have reason to be pleased. The key question was how to solve the issue of retirement of a larger number of miners. Today we have reached an agreement and decisions that guarantee that. What was important to us was the time period when the restructuring of the mine should be completed. This can be completed by the end of 2023 and here we have reason to be pleased because we can end this complex process. The way in which redundant workers will be taken care of is clearly and precisely defined,” said Husic.