RTRS misses payday as accounts frozen over BHRT ruling
Accounts of the Republika Srpska public broadcaster were blocked under a ruling in favor of BHRT, and 15.5 million KM is needed to unblock them.
Workers at Radio-Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS), the public broadcaster of the neighboring entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, did not receive their pay on October 20, the first time that has happened in more than 20 years. Salaries at the company were always paid on the 20th of the month. This time they were missed because RTRS accounts are blocked under a ruling in favor of Radio-Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT).
A statement on the RTRS website explained the cause in a single sentence: “Due to the blocking of accounts under a ruling in favor of BHRT, management was unable to secure the payment of salaries.” The statement did not say how many employees were left without pay.
What did the Supreme Court of Republika Srpska change in the ruling?
Under the first ruling, issued by the Higher Commercial Court in Banja Luka, BHRT owed RTRS 17.7 million KM, while RTRS owed BHRT 15.5 million KM. The Supreme Court of Republika Srpska then altered that decision. RTRS says this happened in early September, while the portal Klix places the decision in mid-September. After the review, BHRT’s debt was almost entirely cancelled, while RTRS’s debt remained.
Since then, RTRS accounts have been blocked again. It is not the first time: a block was also in place in August, over a separate debt of 5.4 million KM. In September, BHRT stated that RTRS’s total debt came to 33.7 million KM. BHRT’s position on today’s statement is not known.
How much money is needed to unblock the accounts?
Unlocking the accounts requires 15.5 million KM. RTRS estimates that two months of money collected from the RTV fee does not cover BHRT’s claims, and that at the current collection rate it would take about six months to gather the required amount. In the meantime, the broadcaster says, workers would go without pay and without contributions for pension and health insurance, and suppliers would go unpaid.
The broadcaster also claims that the functioning of Republika Srpska’s public media service has been put in question. It adds that the Supreme Court of Republika Srpska is not considering its requests for review of the rulings in favor of BHRT.
How is RTRS addressing the public?
The statement ends with an appeal to citizens and courts:
Thanks to the citizens, and may the courts in Republika Srpska take credit for helping bring down one of the pillars of our Republic. We remind everyone that RTRS was not created by courts but by the people of Republika Srpska! Our story does not end here.
The statement does not say whether or when the missed salaries will be paid. The only timeframe the broadcaster mentions is six months, which by its own calculation is how long it would take to collect 15.5 million KM through the RTV fee.
