More than 12,000 Bosnian state employees went on a strike today, in a fresh attempt to demand higher salaries and an improvement in working conditions.
The state employees going on strike includes low and medium-level technical staff employed in several key state agencies, including the Bosnian Defence Ministry and the Bosnian State Agency for Investigation and Protection, (SIPA).
Unlike top political appointees and deputies in the Bosnian State Parliament, who have drastically increased their salaries over the past year, most of the other state employees are often less paid than those in municipal organisations or communal firms.
As a result, the union of state employees has called for a strike, demanding better treatment and salary raises for its staff. During the strike, all involved state employees will cease working between 11:00 and 13:00 each day until their requests are met.