BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA

INDICATORS OF THE QUALITY OF WORKERS’ RIGHTS

Igor Gajić

1. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

1.1. Legal foundations of the rights of workers

The current Labour Law was adopted in 2016 with amendments in 2018, two changes in 2021 (decision of the Constitutional Court 91/21), 2023, and 2024. Prior to the enactment of the 2016 law, extensive meetings and negotiations were held regarding the text of the new law, with the participation of the Confederation of Trade Unions (SSRS) and the Union of Employers (UPRS). This was necessary due to numerous changes that had not been officially incorporated into the consolidated text of the Republic of Srpska Labour Law.^[1] The adoption of the new law was also necessary for procedural reasons, as amendments to the official consolidated text were no longer possible, and the law required changes due to inadequate legal regulations of certain institutions.

Besides the Labour Law there are several other laws that regulate the employment status of those employed by the public administration. With regards to laws that regulate workers’ rights or other specific rights, the Republic of Srpska has the Employment Agency Law, the Law on Employment Placement and Rights During Unemployment, the Law on Registers in the Field of Labour and Health Insurance, the Labour Inspection Law, Law on the Peaceful Resolution of Labour Disputes, and the Law on Strikes.

1.2. General situation on the labour market

According to the Labour Force Survey which was conducted by the Republic of Srpska Institute of Statistics, the statistics on the general situation on the labour market in the first quarter of 2024^[2] were as follows:

• activity rate was 47.6%;
• employment rate was 43.5%;^[3]
• there are no official statistics on the rate of informal employment, or any kind of evidence, except that the European Commission Report for the year 2023 states that the level of informal employment is still high. Support for measures for reducing levels of informal employment are offered through current measures for employment, such as self-employment, incentive programs for employers and advancing the business climate as well as through some repressive measures and attempts to reduce parafiscal burdens;^[4]
• the unemployment rate was 9.3% (first quarter of 2024).^[5]

The total number of employed people in March 2024 was 289,755, of which 246,425 people were employed by business entities, and 43,330 were entrepreneurs and their employees.^[6] Compared to March 2023, the total number of employed people decreased by 0.2%.^[7]

1.3. Other important issues

It’s important to emphasize that the employment rate, according to the methodology used, applies to all labour-active persons, regardless of whether they worked in an employment relationship or not. The unemployment rate applies only to those persons who are actively looking for a job in the stated period through the Republic of Srpska Employment Agency, but not to those who are conducting their search using other methods.

Youth unemployment in the first quarter of 2024 was 27.8% for those aged 15 to 24.^[8]

2. ADEQUATE INCOME AND PRODUCTIVE WORK

2.1. Basic data on earnings

The basic statistics on workers’ income are as follows:

• minimum net wage for 2024 is 900 BAM^[9] (cca. 460 €);
• average net wage in June 2024 was 1,426 BAM (around 729 €);^[10]
• there is no data for the median wage;
• according to the global network Clean Clothes Campaign in 2021 in B&H the living wage was 1,801 BAM (cca. 920 €). It should be noted that due to rising inflation, the living wage is now significantly higher, but more recent data on the living wage is currently unavailable;^[11]
• if we stick to the existing data on the living wage for the year 2021, we can say that the ratio of the living wage to the minimum wage was 1:2 (minimum wage covered 50% of the living wage);
• Confederation of Trade Unions (SSRS) regularly publishes trade union consumer basket calculations^[12] which for June 2024 estimated 2,608 BAM (cca. 1,334 €). The ratio of the minimum wage to the trade union consumer basket in June 2024 was 1:2.9 (minimum wage covers 34.5% of the trade union consumer basket);
• the highest average net wage paid out in the first half of 2024 was in the activity category of finances and insurance (1,805 BAM, cca. 923 €); the lowest wages were in construction (1,081 BAM, cca. 553 €) and in transport and storage (1,122, cca. 574 €).^[13]

2.2. Other important issues

At the end of the calendar year the Government of the Republic of Srpska adopts a decision on the minimum wage for the following calendar year and applies it from January 1^st of the following year. Although wages have exhibited statistically significant increases in recent years, they have not adequately compensated for the rate of inflation, particularly with respect to the rising cost of consumer goods.

3. DECENT WORKING TIME

3.1. Basic data on working time

According to the Republic of Srpska Labour Law:^[14]

• The legal maximum length of working time: 40 working hours (overtime not included);
• Average working time (Eurostat data for Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2024): 41.7 hours weekly;^[15]
• Legal maximum length of overtime: 10 hours weekly and 4 hours daily;
• Legal maximum length of working time while redistributing working hours: 60 hours weekly and 13 hours daily (however, the average weekly working hours during the redistribution period must not exceed 40 hours);
• Minimum length of daily rest: 12 hours;
• Minimum length of weekly rest: 24 hours;
• Minimum length of annual vacation (in days or work weeks): 20 working days, 4 working weeks.

3.2. Additional information on working time

According to the Republic of Srpska Labour Law:

• There are specific reasons for implementing overtime that are foreseen by law (in situations of unplanned increases in the volume of work, recovering from the consequences of extreme weather, damages to work tools and materials, fires, earthquakes, epidemics, and other disasters).
• There are specific reasons for distributing work time that are foreseen by law, as well as redistributing working time (when it is inevitable due to the nature of the activity).
• Overtime is paid at a higher rate (30% is added to the basic wage).^[16]

3.3. Other important issues

It is important to note that employers often do not comply with directives regarding the provision of adequate justification for overtime or work hour redistribution, or the justifications provided are merely formulaic. A six-day work week which lasts for 48 hours became the norm in most manufacturing industries, as well as in retail, tourism, and other service industries, because employers usually approach the issue from a position of superiority, while employees have no way of achieving their legal rights in this respect.

4. STABILITY AND SECURITY OF WORK

4.1. Information on job stability

According to unofficial data, in the Republic of Srpska 85% of people are employed on the basis of indefinite-term employment contracts, while about 15% are employed on the basis of fixed-term employment contracts.

Fixed-term employment contracts are regulated according to the following principles of the Labour Law:

• A fixed-term employment contract cannot be longer than a total of 24 months, with or without pauses. Fixed-term contracts exceeding 24 months are permissible in exceptional cases, such as replacing a temporarily absent employee until their return, working on a time-bound project (up to 60 months maximum), or fulfilling other legally defined exceptions.
• If the fixed-term contract is concluded contrary to the directives of this law or if the employee continues to work for the employer at least five days after the contract has expired, it is considered that the employment relationship was concluded for an indefinite term.^[17]

4.2. Information on security of work

According to the Labour Law, terminating an employment contract can occur only due to reasons predicted by the law and by respecting procedures. There are two basic types of termination: termination by the employee and termination by the employer.

If an employee through their own fault commits a severe violation of employee obligations or if the employee does not respect workplace discipline, the employer must notify the employee in writing of the existence of reasons for terminating the employment contract and to give them a notice period of at least eight days from the date of receiving the notice to give a statement on the allegations in the notice. An employer may terminate employment if an employee underperforms or lacks the necessary skills. However, before termination, the employer must issue a written warning outlining specific performance deficiencies, provide suggestions for improvement, and set a reasonable deadline for improvement. If the employee does not improve their work in the given period, and the employer cannot secure them another adequate position, the worker’s employment agreement is terminated.^[18]

An employee who has worked for an employer for at least two years under an indefinite contract is entitled to severance pay if their employment is terminated by the employer. There is an exception in cases where the termination occurred due to the fault of the worker. If termination occurs due to economic reasons or organizational changes, and the employer cannot offer suitable alternative employment, the employee is still entitled to severance pay.

Additionally, workers have a right to begin a procedure on the peaceful resolution of labour disputes through the Agency for Peaceful Resolution of Labour Disputes, and to begin a Labour Law proceeding in the appropriate courts in which they refute the arguments of the employer regarding the employment contract termination. Workers also have a right to report illegal behaviour on the part of the employer to the Labour Inspectorate.^[19]

4.2. Other important issues

Even though the law predicts the rights of employees in the case of termination, practice often shows that workers do not use their rights, either due to fear for their day-to-day existence, or due to their lack of knowledge of the law. It often happens that employees, by intention of the employer, sign agreements terminating the employment relationship in which they agree to fewer rights than those guaranteed by law, and in this way make it impossible to later realize those rights or any form of institutional protection.

5. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND TREATMENT

5.1. Information on the national anti-discrimination system

The Law on Prohibition of Discrimination was adapted in 2009.^[20] A unique specificity is that the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination is at the state level, and the entities do not have individual laws that regulate these areas. Discrimination in the field of work is regulated by this law, as well as by the Labour Law and a few other laws. Discrimination in general, including discrimination in the field of work, is banned on the basis of any personal characteristics. The ban on discrimination is applied to all public bodies as well as to all individuals and legal entities, in the public and private sector, and in all fields, in particular: employment, membership in professional organizations, education, training, housing, healthcare, social protection, goods and services intended for the public or public places and performing economic activities and public services.

Ombudsman^[21] for Human Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina receives complaints and ex officio conducts investigations in cases where it determines violations and problems in meeting the rights resulting from the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights as well as the right to work and employment.^[22]

5.2. Information on the National Gender Equality System

There are specific norms that ban discrimination on the basis of gender and family obligations, which among other things ban asking questions about marital or family status during employment interviews.

The Labour Law stipulates maternity leave of one year. In addition, a mother who breastfeeds her child for up to one year after returning to work has the right to one break during working hours for breastfeeding.

Fathers do not have a mandatory paternity leave, but they can, with the mother’s consent, take a portion of the maternity leave after the initial 60 days. If the father chooses to do so, the mother must return to work.^[23]

5.3. Information on the effects of the anti-discrimination system

Gender inequalities are highly visible when looking at participation in the labour market. They manifest in several aspects – from the lower rate of women entering the labour market, lower chances of employment, to various forms of gender segregation in the workplace. According to a study conducted by the Gender Center – Center for Equality and Gender Equality of the Republic of Srpska, 39% of women of working age are employed, which is significantly less than among men, where the employment rate is 58%. Women are less likely to be self-employed or entrepreneurs and are more likely to be unemployed or economically inactive.^[24]

The principle “equal pay for equal work” is accepted in the Labour Law of Republic of Srpska.

5.4. Other important issues

The Special Report on the Effectiveness of Legal Solutions on the Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the Ombudsman gave a detailed report and recommendations per individual institutions which are in the employment chain, is a special report created with the goal of determining to what extent existing legal solutions are applied and if the (non)application of legal solutions can lead to poor employment of people with disabilities.^[25]

6. SAFE WORK ENVIRONMENT

6.1. Indicators of providing adequate measures for protection and safety of workers

According to data from the Republic of Srpska Ministry of Labour, War Veterans, and Disabled Persons’ Protection, relevant statistics for the year 2023 are as follows:

• the number of workers killed on an annual basis in 2023 was 10;
• the number of serious bodily injuries of workers in 2023 was 76;^[26]
• the number of killed workers per 100,000 workers in 2023 was 3.4;
• the number of severe injuries per 100,000 workers in 2023 was 26.1;
• 36 labour inspectors^[27] were engaged on 290,491 workers,^[28] which corresponds to one inspector per 8,069 workers, or 1.23 labour inspectors per 10,000 workers.

6.2. Regulations of the occupational health and safety system

The obligation to report a workplace injury is decreed by Article 53 of the Law on Workplace Protection^[29] and by the provisions of the Rulebook on the content and method of issuance of forms on workplace injuries, occupational diseases, and work-related illnesses.^[30] A worker has a right to refuse to work in conditions in which their safety and general health is in danger. The Labour Inspectorate can ban work and order an employer to remove the stated obstacles to safety if they have not secured the minimum conditions and standards for worker protection.

Insured persons of the Republic of Srpska Health Insurance Fund who are on sick leave due to workplace injuries or occupational diseases have a right to combine short-term disability days in case the relevant authorities for pension-disability insurance concludes that treatment has not finished. That means that during the course of sick leave the insured person has a right to compensation in the amount of 100% of their salary, because it concerns an occupational disease or injury that occurred at work. Additionally, the insured person is not obligated to pay the co-payment for all healthcare services that are used to treat occupational disease or workplace injury.^[31]

Paid sick leave is possible, and compensation is 65% of the salary (in most cases) or 100% if the cause of the inability to work occurred during work, as well as in the situation of pregnancy or maternity leave. Documentation for sick leave is provided by the primary care doctor and can last as long as 30 days, after which the employee submits to a check by the medical commission of the Health Insurance Fund, which can extend sick leave for a longer period of time and schedule a new check by the commission. If the employer suspects the validity of the reason for absence from work due to temporary incapacity to work on the part of the employee – sick leave, they can submit a request to the relevant authority to confirm the health capabilities of the worker, in accordance with the law.^[32]

6.3. Other important issues

When determining responsibility for a workplace injury, whether it is a minor, major, or deadly injury, in practice it is difficult to prove the responsibility of the employer for the stated injuries due to inadequate conditions or workplace protections. In litigation proceedings where workers sue employers with a request for compensating material or non-material damages, employers usually do not accept requests for paying out stated compensation, but prolong these payouts in long legal proceedings, claiming that the worker was compensated in full by the insurance fund, as stated in the collective agreement.

Besides planned regular inspections that are conducted on the basis of the annual work plan, the Labour Inspectorate conducts emergency inspections on the basis of applications and initiatives pursued by the workers themselves or by other organizations. Significant resources of this Inspectorate are directed towards emergency inspections, which directly affects the implementation of preventative planned inspections. Received reports are included into operational work plans or due to their urgent nature, the inspectors engage in unscheduled emergency visits. On average the Labour Inspectorate section conducts 4,500 visits in the field of employment relationships and workplace relations annually, of which 35% contain confirmed irregularities. On average, out of the total number of inspections, about 30% are emergency visits responding to reports. The most common irregularities are related to regulations regarding organizing and fulfilling occupational safety measures, implementing preventative measures, preparing workers for safe work, and regular inspection of equipment and work tools.

The largest number of severe physical injuries occurred in the field of construction (15 in total), then in the field of forestry and logging (12 in total), power industry (4 in total), chemical industry (2 in total), then other activities (43 in total). In cases of deadly workplace injuries, the largest number was again in construction (4 in total), followed by other fields (3 in total), then 2 in forestry and the logging industry and 1 in the power industry.^[33]

7. SOCIAL SECURITY

7.1. Adequate amount of workers’ pensions

According to the available data, the following comparisons are possible:

• the minimum pension amount in June 2024 is 601.35 KM (307.47 €) and makes up 42.86% of the average salary in the Republic of Srpska;
• the amount of the highest pension in June in the Republic of Srpska was 3,228.64 KM (1,650.78 €);
• the average pension amount (for June 2024): 592,71 KM (about 303.05 €) and makes up 42.26% of the average salary in the Republic of Srpska;^[34]
• for full insurance coverage of 40 years the average pension in June 2024 was 884.21 KM (452.09 €) which makes up 63.06% of the average salary in the Republic;
• the amount of the median pension is not available;
• the number of employed pensioners is about 8,000^[35] (informal data obtained from the media);
• there is no data on the number of older persons that reached the end of their working capacity, but who did not fulfil conditions for any type of pension.

8. SOCIAL DIALOGUE, EMPLOYERS’ AND WORKERS’ REPRESENTATION

8.1. Basic data on effects of social dialogue and collective bargaining

The unionization level of the workers (level of membership in unions) is not officially determined.

The level of coverage by collective agreements on the national level is also unknown.

On the national level there are 13 representative unions who established representative status under the old Labour Law and 9 representative unions who established representative status according to the 2016 Labour Law. There are also 8 employer associations who have established representative status.^[36]

8.2. Additional information on social dialogue and negotiations

The Economic-Social Council of the Republic of Srpska is a tripartite advisory body of the Government of the Republic of Srpska founded with the goal of encouraging and developing social dialogue and coordinating the interests between workers’ organizations, employers, and representatives of the executive government.

Institutionalized tripartite social dialogue in the Republic of Srpska dates back to 1997 and is regulated by the Agreement of social partners and the Government of the Republic of Srpska (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Srpska” no. 30/97). Through the Labour Law (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Srpska” no. 38/00) the Council receives a legal grounding. A special Law on the Economic-Social Council (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Srpska,” no. 110/08) passed as a lex specialis agreed upon by the representatives of workers and employers, represents an additional step in the direction of defining the frameworks within which institutions for social dialogue can operate. The Law on Amendments and Updates to the Law on the Economic-Social Council (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Srpska,” no. 91/16) made it possible for the multiple representative unions and employers to participate in the work of the Council on the level of the republic, as well as the formation of economic-social councils on the municipal level.

Besides the responsibilities outlined by the Law on the Economic-Social Council, by the implementation of the new Labour Law (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Srpska,” no. 1/16) additional responsibilities were established in regards to individual and collective rights from the employment relationship. In the field of individual employment relationships, The Economic-Social Council submits to the Republic of Srpska government for confirmation an agreed-upon:

– suggested decision on the level of the minimum wage in the final quarter for the following year,

– suggested decision on the level of the labour cost for the region, field, or branch and

– suggested decision on increasing wages on the basis of other conditions, besides past work, the level of help to the worker and their family in case of a death or illness and the level of other accessory earnings through the employment relationship.

Competencies from the field of collective work agreements include delivering the opinion of the Republic of Srpska Ministry of Labor, War Veterans, and Disabled Persons’ Protection with regards to expanding the jurisdiction of an area or branch collective agreement to employers who are not members of the representative employers’ associations.^[37]

On the basis of Articles 156, 160, and 161 of the Labour Law, the Government of the Republic of Srpska, the majority representative union – the Confederation of Trade Unions of Republic of Srpska in the name of the workers, and the majority representative association of employers – the Union of Employers (UPRS) in the name of the employers, conclude a General Collective Agreement (published in “Official Gazette of RS,” no. 40, 11.5.2010). This collective agreement ceased to be valid with the implementation of the new Labour Law in 2016 and to this day no new collective agreement has been reached.

The Confederation of Unions of the Republic of Srpska is the biggest umbrella organization in the Republic of Srpska and is a member of the International Trade Union Confederation, the largest international trade union organization that represents the rights of workers around the world.^[38]

Foreign employers are excluded from the process of collective bargaining and are not members of representative associations of employers. That being said, it is important to note that foreign employers are not legally excluded from the process of collective bargaining, but that there is no interest from foreign employers to participate in employers’ associations.

8.3. Other important issues

Union organizing in the private sector is very rare, almost not present at all, given that employers use different repressive measures to make it impossible for workers to organize a union, or make it impossible for a union to exist. That behaviour is not adequately sanctioned by the relevant state bodies. Union organizing is more represented in public institutions and state bodies, and collective bargaining is usually done only at the lower level (with individual employers) and with meager results that exclusively depend on the interests of the state in the final outcome of the negotiations.

Production of this document was supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Southeast Europe with funds of the German Federal Foreign Office. This publication or parts of it can be used by others for free as long as they provide a proper reference to the original publication. The content of the publication is the sole responsibility of the Centre for the Politics of Emancipation and does not necessarily reflect a position of RLS.

[1] Labour Law (Official Gazette of the Republic of Srpska, no. 55/07 – consolidated text).

[2] Labour Force Survey, March 2024). See: https://www.rzs.rs.ba/static/uploads/saopstenja/anketa_o_radnoj_snazi/2024/ARS_I_2024.pdf, page 1.

[3] Working age population includes all persons aged from 15 to 89 years.

[4] Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the

European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, 2023. See: https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2101211/SWD_2023_691+Bosnia+and+Herzegovina+report.pdf , page102.

[5] Unemployment is calculated for the population between 15 and 74 years of age. Labour Force Survey, March 2024. See: https://www.rzs.rs.ba/static/uploads/saopstenja/anketa_o_radnoj_snazi/2024/ARS_I_2024.pdf, page 2.

[6] The data includes those employed in companies, cooperatives, institutions, and other forms of organizing business entities whose headquarters are in the Republic of Srpska, those employed in units of business entities whose headquarters are not in the Republic of Srpska, entrepreneurs and those employed by entrepreneurs. The data does not include those employed: in defense, on family agricultural holdings, in international organizations, in business units outside of Republic of Srpska or in branches abroad. Part of the data on the total number of employed persons in Republic of Srpska was obtained through statistical processing of data obtained from administrative sources, Tax Administration of Republic of Srpska.

[7] Republic of Srpska Institute of Statistics, March 2024. See:, https://www.rzs.rs.ba/front/article/6596/.

[8] Labour Force Survey, March 2024. See: https://www.rzs.rs.ba/static/uploads/saopstenja/anketa_o_radnoj_snazi/2024/ARS_I_2024.pdf, page 2.

[9] Decision on Minimum Wage in Republic of Srpska in 2024 (“Official gazette RS no. 114/23).

[10] Republic of Srpska Institute of Statistics, June 2024. See: https://www.rzs.rs.ba/front/article/6604/

[11] Living wage calculations (for year 2021) according to the research of Clean Clothes Campaign can be found here: https://cleanclothes.org/campaigns/europe-floor-wage

[12] Trade union consumer basket includes expenses for: food, housing and utilities, ongoing household maintenance, clothing and shoes, hygiene and health, transportation, education, and culture. See: https://savezsindikatars.org/sindikalna-potrosacka-korpa-za-jun-2024-godine-260835km-pregled-troskova/

[13] Labour Statistics, Average Wages of employeees, June 2024, see: https://www.rzs.rs.ba/static/uploads/saopstenja/rad/mesecna_saopstenja/2024/Rad_Jun_2024.pdf, page 2.

[14] Labour Law (“Republic of Srpska Official Gazette” no: 1/16 and 66/18, 91/21 – Decision of the Constitutional Court, 119/21 I 39/24)

[15] Eurostat, official data. – accessed at https://www.klix.ba/biznis/privreda/eurostat-istrazivanje-gradjani-bih-u-prosjeku-rade-41-4-sata-sedmicno/240530108. Data exists just for Bosnia & Herzegovina, while there is no data, not even from official sources, for the entities (Republic of Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina individually)

[16] General collective agreement (Published in the “Official Gazette RS” no. 40, May 11^th, 2010).

[17] Labour Law, Article 39.

[18] Labour Law, Article 181 in relation to Article 179. Section 1

[19] Law on Inspections of the Republic of Srpska (“Official Gazette of Republic of Srpska, no. 18/20)

[20] Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina number 59/09.

[21] See: https://www.ombudsmen.gov.ba/Default.aspx?id=19&lang=BS#

[22] See: https://www.ombudsmen.gov.ba/Novost.aspx?newsid=1492&lang=HR

[23] Unmasking Workplace Inequality in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Comparative Analysis of Gender Pay Gap Reporting Mechanisms; https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2023-08/razotkrivanje_neravnopravnosti_u_radnom_okruzenju_u_bosni_i_hercegovini_komparativna_analiza_mehanizama_izvjestavanja_o_rodnom_jazu_u_platama_0.pdf , page 50-51.

[24] Gender equality in Republic of Srpska research on public opinion, https://www.vladars.net/sr-SP-Cyrl/Vlada/centri/gendercentarrs/Documents/Rodna%20ravnopravnost%20u%20Republici%20Srpskoj%20-%20Istrazivanje%20javnog%20mnjenja_195070610.pdf, page 9

[25] Special Report on the Effectiveness of Legal Solutions on the Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, https://www.ombudsmen.gov.ba/documents/obmudsmen_doc2021072208592983cro.pdf , page78

[26] Statistics obtained from the Republic of Srpska Ministry of Labor, War Veterans, and Disabled Persons’ Protection, on the basis of the Law on Freedom of Access to Information, “Official Gazette of Republic of Srpska,” no. 20/01.

[27] Data obtained from the Republic Administration for Inspection Affairs, on the basis of the Law on Freedom of Access to Information.

[28]Employment wages and unemployment, Statistical bulletin of the Republic of Srpska Institute for Statistics, https://www.rzs.rs.ba/static/uploads/bilteni/rad/BiltenStatistike_Plata_Zaposlenosti_i_Nezaposlenosti_2024_WEB.pdf , page 13.

[29] Official Gazette of Republic of Srpska no. 1/08 and 13/10.

[30] Official Gazette of Republic of Srpska no. 66/08.

[31] See: https://www.zdravstvo-srpske.org/novosti/omoguceno-povezivanje-bolovanja-za-povrede-na-radu-i-profesionalna-obol-enja.html

[32] Article 119 Section 5 of the Labour Law.

[33] In the category of other fields are activities such as trade, tourism, culture, education, utilities, and other, information obtained from the Republic Administration for Inspection Affairs.

[34] Pension and Disability Insurance Fund: https://www.fondpiors.org/2024/07/08/%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0-%D0%B7%D0%B0-%D1%98%D1%83%D0%BD-6/?lng=lat..

[35] In Srpska over 8,000 pensioners are working, and the oldest is 95 years old, https://www.capital.ba/u-srpskoj-radi-vise-od-8-000-penzionera-najstariji-ima-95-godina/,

[36] The list of unions and employer associations that have established representative status on the level of the republic, area, field, or branch, https://vladars.rs/sr-SP-Cyrl/Vlada/Ministarstva/mpb/DJEL/Pages/Reprezentativnost.aspx, page 4 and 5.

[37]https://ekosocrs.org/%d0%be-%d0%bd%d0%b0%d0%bc%d0%b0/

[38]https://savezsindikatars.org/o-nama/