INDICATORS OF THE QUALITY OF WORKERS’ RIGHTS
Country Study Republic of Srpska
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
1.1 Legal basis for workers’ rights
The current Labor Law was adapted in 2016 with amendments in 2018, two changes in 2021 (decision of the Constitutional Court 91/21), 2023, and 2024. On the occasion of adapting the law in 2016, there were long meetings and negotiations about the text of the new law, and the Alliance of Trade Unions and the Union of Employers of Republic of Srpska participated in the process, especially because there were many changes that were not in the officially consolidated text of the Labor Law of the Republic of Srpska1. Enacting a new law was inevitable for procedural reasons, because it was no longer possible to change and amend the official consolidated law, but also due to the inadequate legal regulations by certain institutions.
Besides the Labor 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 Law on the Labor and Employment Agency, the Law on Mediation in Employment and Unemployment Insurance, the Act on Registers in the Field of Labor and Health Insurance, the Labor Inspection Act, Act on the Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes, and the Act on Strikes.
1.2 General overview of the labor market
According to the Labor Force Survey which was conducted by the Republic of Srpska Institute of Statistics2, the statistics on the general situation on the labor market in the first quarter of 20243 were as follows:
– The economic activity rate was 47.6%;
– The employment rate was 43.5%;
– There are no official statistics on the rate of informal employment, or any kind of evidence, except that the European Commission Report to the European Parliament, Council, European Economic and Social Committee and the European Committee of the Regions Report on EU Enlargement Politics 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 burdens4;
– The unemployment rate was 9.3% (first quarter of 2024)5.
The total number of employed persons on March 31st 2024 was 289,755 people, of which 246,425 people were employed in business entities, and 43,330 employed persons included entrepreneurs and those employed by entrepreneurs.6 Compared to March 2023, the total number of employed people decreased by 0.2%, and decreased by 0.3% compared to September 2023.7
1.3 Other important issues to be analyzed within this unit
It’s important to emphasize that the employment rate, according to the methodology used, applies to all labor-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 broken down by age group according to the official records of the Employment Agency,8 for youth between the ages of 24 to 27 amounts to 2,908 people, of which men make up 1,027, and women 1,881 unemployed persons, while for the age group from 27 to 30 years old the total was 3,350, of which men made up 1,171, and women 2,179 people.
- ADEQUATE INCOME AND PRODUCTIVE WORK
2.1 Basic data on income
The basic statistics on workers’ income are as follows:
– The minimum wage for 2024 is 900.00 BAM9 (about 460.16 €) net (Decision on minimum wage in Republic of Srpska in 2024, adopted on the 51st session of the Government, held 28.12. 2023)
– The average wage (net) in June 2024 was 1, 426 BAM (around 729.10 €);
– There is no data for the median wage;
– The ratio of the minimum wage to the minimum consumer basket10 (2,608 BAM -1,333,44 € in June 2024) in June 2024 was 1:3.45 (minimum wage covers 34.50% of the minimum consumer basket);
– The ratio of the median wage to the minimum consumer basket cannot be shown because there is no data on the median wage;
– The highest average net wage was paid out in January 2024 in the activity category of finances and insurance (1,758 KM, about 898.85 €), while in June 2024, the highest net wage was in the category of financial and insurance activities (1833, about 937.20€) ; the lowest wages were in construction (1105 BAM, about 564.98 €) and in transportation and storage (1125, about 575.20 €)11.
2.2 Other important issues to be analyzed within this unit
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 1st of the following year. Wages have increased in a statistically significant way over the past few years, but not by enough to follow inflation. That applies in particular to the price increase of consumer goods.
- DIGNIFIED WORKING TIME
3.1 Basic data on working time
According to the Republic of Srpska Labor Law12:
– 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 weekly13;
– 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 working time during the entire period of redistribution must be within the framework of the 40-hour work week);
– 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 Labor 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 base pay)14.
3.3 Other important issues to be analyzed within this unit
It must be mentioned that employers often do not respect directives with respect to explaining the reasons behind implementing overtime or redistributing working hours, or those explanations are just formulaic. A six-day work week which lasts for 48 hours is 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.
- JOB STABILITY AND SECURITY
4.1 Information on job stability
According to unofficial statistics, 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.
In 2024, that is until August 30th of that year, 11,927 people were employed through the Employment Agency.15
Fixed-term employment contracts are regulated according to the following principles of the Labor Law:
– A fixed-term employment contract cannot be longer than a total of 24 months, with or without pauses. Exceptionally, a fixed-term employment contract can be agreed to for longer than 24 hours if that is necessary to replace a temporarily unavailable employee until their return, or for work on a project whose duration is fixed ahead of time, until the end of the project, and for a maximum length of 60 months;
– 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.16
4.2 The rights of workers in case of termination
According to the Labor 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. The employer can terminate an employment contract if the employee is not achieving results at the workplace, or does not have the right knowledge and capabilities to perform the tasks which they are performing, but before that must give the employee a written warning related to the inadequacies in their work, suggestions and an adequate deadline for improving their work. 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.17 A worker that signed an indefinite term agreement, and whose employment relationship ends due to termination on the part of the employer, after at least two years of continuous work for said employer, is entitled to severance paid out by the employer, except in cases where the termination occurred due to the fault of the worker, and if the employer due to economic reasons or a change in organization, work technology, or operation cannot return the worker to their previous or other appropriate position, terminates the worker’s employment agreement, with the right to severance. Additionally, workers have a right to begin a procedure on the peaceful resolution of labor disputes through the Agency for Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes, and to begin a labor law proceeding in the appropriate courts in which they refute the arguments of the employer regarding the employment contract termination, and to report illegal behavior on the part of the employer to the Labor Inspection.18
4.2 Other important issues to analyze within this unit
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 on realize those rights or any form of institutional protection.
- EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND TREATMENT
5.1 Information on the national anti-discrimination system
The Law on Prohibition of Discrimination was adapted in 200919. 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 Labor 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 physical and legal persons, 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. This law applies to the actions of all public bodies at the level of the state, entity, canton and Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, municipality institutions and bodies, and legal persons with public authorizations, as well as to the actions of all legal and physical persons, in all fields but in particular during hiring, employment, and employment conditions, including access to employment, occupation, and self-employment as well as work conditions, compensation, promotions in the office and termination from work. The Department for Elimination of all forms of Discrimination of the Ombudsman20 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.21
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. There is no paid family leave for fathers, but spouses can agree who among them will use maternity leave, so in the situation that the father uses it, the mother must return to work.22
5.3 Information on the effects of the anti-discrimination system
Gender inequalities are highly visible when looking at participation in the labor market. They manifest in several aspects—from the weaker participation of women in the labor market overall, through their worse chances at employment, to different forms of gender segregation at their places of work. Thus among the women of working age studied, only 39% were employed, which is significantly fewer than among men, of whom 58% were employed. Women are also less represented among those who are self-employed or entrepreneurs, and women are far less often formally employed than men. Twice as many women as men are unemployed, or have the status of inactive supported persons.23
The principle “equal pay for equal work” is accepted in the Labor Law of Republic of Srpska.
5.4 Other important issues to analyze within this unit
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 ombudsmen 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.24
- SAFE WORK ENVIRONMENT
6.1 Indicators of adequate measures for the protection and safety of workers
According to data from the Republic of Srpska Ministry of Labor, War Veterans, and Disabled Persons’ Protection, relevant statistics for the year 2023 are as follows:
– The number of workers who died per year in 2023 was 10;
– The number of severe physical injuries to workers in 2023 was 7625;
– 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 labor inspectors26 were hired per 290,49127 workers, which corresponds to one inspector per 8,069 workers, or 1.23 labor 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 Protection28 and by the provisions of the Rulebook on the content and method of issuance of forms on workplace injuries, occupational diseases, and work-related sicknesses29. A worker has a right to refuse to work in conditions in which their safety and general health is in danger. The labor 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 which 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 duration 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 co-pays for all healthcare services that are used to treat the occupational disease or workplace injury.30
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.31
6.3 Other important issues to analyze within this unit
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 labor 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 labor 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.
In 9 months in 2021, according to data from health centers and sick leave evaluation commissions, there were on average 20,100 monthly cases of sick leave, and the most common cases were sicknesses (musculoskeletal system, tumors, pregnancy complications, cardiovascular problems), injuries, isolation, care for a sick family member, and then occupational diseases or workplace injuries.32
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
- SOCIAL SECURITY
7.1 Adequate amount of worker’s pensions
– The average pension is 529.71 KM (303.05 €) and makes up 42.26% of the average salary in the Republic of Srpska.
– The amount of the lowest pension for insurance coverage for 40 or more years is 601.35 KM (307.47 €) and makes up 42.86% of the average salary in the Republic of Srpska.
– 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 highest pension in June in the Republic of Srpska was 3,228.64 KM (1,650.78 €).
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 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 Srpska34
– The amount of the median pension is not available;
– The number of employed pensioners is about 8,00035 (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 fulfill conditions for any type of pension.
- SOCIAL DIALOGUE, REPRESENTATION OF EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES
8.1 Basic information on the effects of social dialogues and collective bargaining
The unionization level of the workers (level of membership in unions) is not officially determined. In the tabular view of the representative unions and employer associations, there are only the number of members by individual organization.
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 Labor Law and 9 representative unions who established representative status according to the 2016 Labor 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 Serbia 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 Labor 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. In accordance with the legal changes, in addition to the Association of Trade Unions of the Republic of Srpska, the Confederation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Srpska also participates in the work of the Council, in its capacity as the second representative union on the level of the Republic. Besides the responsibilities outlined by the Law on the Economic-Social Council, by the implementation of the new Labor 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, ESS RS 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 labor 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 Labor Law – Consolidated Text (“Official Gazette of the Republic of the Srpska, no. 55/07), the Government of the Republic of Srpska, the majority representative union organized at the level of the Republic – the Association of Unions of Republic of Srpska in the name of the workers of Republic of Srpska and the majority representative association of employers organized at the level of the Republic – the Union of United Employers of the Republic of Srpska in the name of the employers of the Republic of Srpska 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 Labor Law in 2016 and to this day no new collective agreement has been reached.
Other bipartite and tripartite bodies do not exist in Republic of Srpska, only within Article 237 of the Labor Law is it stated that representative unions and representative associations of employers, in accordance with this law have a right to, among other things, participate in the work of tripartite and multipartite bodies at an appropriate levels.
The Association 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 syndical 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, thus excluding them as well from collective bargaining.
8.3 Other important issues to analyze within this unit
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 behavior 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.
1 Official Gazette of the Republic of Srpska, no. 55/07 – consolidated text.
3Labor statistics, semiannual report, (March 2024) https://www.rzs.rs.ba/static/uploads/saopstenja/anketa_o_radnoj_snazi/2024/ARS_I_2024.pdf, page 1
4 Commission Report to the European Parliament, Council, European Economic and Social Committee and the European Committee of the Regions, Report on EU Enlargement Politics 2023. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/2023/Izvje%C5%A1taj%20o%20Bosni%20i%20Hercegovini%20za%202023.%20%20-%20BHS%20prijevod%20%28002%29.pdf , page102
5http://www.zzzrs.net/index.php/statistika/
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 Labor statistics, semiannual report, March 2024, https://www.rzs.rs.ba/front/article/6596/ , page 1
8 Monthly statistical bulletin, JU Employment Agency, June 2024, http://www.zzzrs.net/images/uploads/dokumenti/BILTEN_JUN.pdf, page12
9 Decision on minimum wage in Republic of Srpska in 2024 (“Official gazette RS no. 114/23)
10https://lat.rtrs.tv/vijesti/vijest.php?id=563795#:~:text=Sindikalna%20potro%C5%A1a%C4%8Dka%20korpa%20za%20jun%202024.%20godine%20iznosi,zdravlja%2C%20prevoz%2C%20obrazovanje%20i%20kulturu.%20Prodavnica%20Foto%3A%20RTRS Official statistical reviews use the category “trade union consumer basket” which includes expenses for: food, housing and utilities, ongoing household maintenance, clothing and shoes, hygiene and health, transportation, education, and culture.
11Report on labor statistics, average salaries of employed persons, June 2024, https://www.rzs.rs.ba/static/uploads/saopstenja/rad/mesecna_saopstenja/2024/Rad_Jun_2024.pdf, pages 2 and 3
12 Labor Law (“Republic of Srpska Official Gazette” no: 1/16 and 66/18, 91/21 – Decision of the Constitutional Court, 119/21 I 39/24)
13 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)
14 General collective agreement (Published in the “Official Gazette RS” no. 40, May 11th, 2010).
16 Labor Law, Article 39.
17 Labor Law, Article 181 in relation to Article 179. Section 1
18 Law on Inspections of the Republic of Srpska (“Official Gazette of Republic of Srpska, no. 18/20)
19 Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina number 59/09
20https://www.ombudsmen.gov.ba/Default.aspx?id=19&lang=BS#
21https://www.ombudsmen.gov.ba/Novost.aspx?newsid=1492&lang=HR
22Unmasking 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 , page50.
23 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
24 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
25 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
26 Data obtained from the Republic Administration for Inspection Affairs, on the basis of the Law on Freedom of Access to Information
27Employment 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
28 Official Gazette of Republic of Srpska no. 1/08 and 13/10
29 Official Gazette of Republic of Srpska no. 66/08.
29https://www.zdravstvo-srpske.org/novosti/omoguceno-povezivanje-bolovanja-za-povrede-na-radu-i-profesionalna-obol-enja.html
31 Article 119 Section 5 of the Labor Law
32https://www.zdravstvo-srpske.org/novosti/aktivnosti-fonda-za-izmjenu-pravilnika-cilj-unaprijediti-oblast-bolovanja.html
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.
34https://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, information from the sight of the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund.
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.