DODIK: MINIMUM WAGE IN SRPSKA TO BE INCREASED ACCORDING TO QUALIFICATION LEVEL

BANJA LUKA, OCTOBER 24 /SRNA/ – President Milorad Dodik said that the minimum wage in Republika Srpska will be increased and emphasized that the plan is to restructure it according to education and qualification levels, rather than keeping it uniform.

"We will discuss with both trade unions and employers, and my proposal is for the minimum wage for unskilled workers to be BAM 1.000, for skilled workers and those with secondary education BAM 1.200, and for those with higher education not less than BAM 1.400, or possibly more," Dodik said in an interview with SRNA.

President Dodik underlined that raising wages is no longer just a matter of status, but of reaching a desired level where pay becomes sufficiently motivating for people to remain in Republika Srpska.

"This is good for employers as well. Those who earn extreme profits must give up part of it and raise workers' salaries. For too long, workers in Srpska have been trapped by socio-economic processes prevalent across Europe and reduced to a `minimum`. It’s time we paid more attention to our people," he stressed.

The president noted that the government of Srpska has always cared for workers, and that Srpska should find its own way to ensure a balanced solution that benefits everyone.

Speaking about the planned establishment of the Children's Savings Fund, Dodik said that Prime Minister Savo Minić had informed him that a working group has been formed, the process is in its final stage, and that the plan will be presented to him in the next ten days.

He recalled that the idea is for every newborn child in Srpska to receive a certain amount of money, which would be deposited for 18 years, so that upon reaching adulthood, the person would have funds for education or to start a business.

"The money will go into a special fund. The child born today will be the owner of that money and, upon turning 18, can decide how to use it. However, the funds cannot be withdrawn arbitrarily, the person must continue to live in Srpska. They cannot withdraw the money and move abroad. The only exception is for studying abroad, but even then, they must guarantee they will return to Srpska. If not, they must leave a guarantee that the state can recover those funds if they choose to stay abroad," Dodik explained.

If, upon turning 18, a person has BAM 100,000 in the account and wishes to move abroad, Dodik added, they must give up the money. But if they wish to stay in Srpska, they can withdraw it on the condition that they remain for at least ten years in Srpska.

"This idea ensures complete equality, making no distinction between anyone, between rich and poor, east and west, north and south. Everyone will have the same right. It's a good idea, and I'm glad we can make it happen," Dodik stressed.

MINIĆ GOVERNMENT HAS SHOWN AGILITY AND FIELD PRESENCE

Dodik expressed great satisfaction with the performance of Prime Minister Savo Minić and his Office so far.

"The new Government of Republika Srpska has shown strong agility and field presence, and the preparation of annual reports and other key documents is underway," he said.

Talking about the situation in Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske, Dodik stated that there are a number of objective problems, which have led to subjective ones.

"One of the objective problems is the extremely poor hydrometeorological situation. For example, water levels in reservoirs are 25 meters below expected levels, and imagine the volume of water missing from Bileća to Trebinje, and how much electricity could not be produced because of the problem," Dodik clarified, emphasizing that electricity production has decreased as a result.

He added that Srpska continues to maintain a low electricity price for both households and businesses, and that it is important to continue managing the system responsibly to prevent aggravating the situation further.

"This is not dissatisfaction to blame anyone, but about establishing a basis for solving problems, which we are doing in Šume Srpske, Elektroprivreda Srpske, and elsewhere," said Dodik.

Those who criticize the situation in Elektroprivreda, he noted, ignore the fact that during the past 25 years, the period he has led Srpska, electricity prices for households have been the lowest in Europe.

"It's better to have problems within a company than in the entire society. Sure, it could be solved easily, the way those `smart guys` from SDS and PDP imagine: raise electricity prices by 100 percent, and everything would be fixed in six months. But who would pay that bill, and what about the social consequences? They don't care about that," Dodik stressed.

He added that people have become used to seeing electricity price increases as an attack on their livelihood, while no one is willing to give up their personal comfort.

"Just look at Banja Luka, traffic jams make it difficult to enter or exit the city, yet no one gives up their car. But when you ask people for a bit more solidarity to balance the system, everyone suddenly `jumps,`" Dodik concluded.