Doboj – On Thursday, February 25, 2021, in the hotel “Integra” Doboj, a round table “Challenges and perspectives of business” was held, intended for employers from the area of this city.
Respecting the epidemiological restrictions, the Union round table was attended by about 15 employers from Doboj, who were presented with educational infographics on the rights and obligations of employers during inspections, as well as a revised online tool for reporting corruption on the website of the Inspectorate of the Republic of Srpska. In addition to employers, representatives of the RS Inspectorate also took part in the event.
Jelena Kalajdzic from the RS Inspectorate presented a “Brochure on the rights and obligations of employers and inspectors during inspections”, emphasizing the key points during inspections in which employers must react to protect their rights – to point out remarks on the minutes if they have, when and from whom to request a postponement of the execution of the decision, etc. Kalajdzic informed employers about the establishment of a new organizational unit in the Inspectorate, which has an advisory role, and spoke about the novelties in the Law on Inspections that came into force last years, such as the covert purchase of goods and use of services, and on which way institutes will modernize inspections in Srpska.
Petar Ernaut, also from the RS Inspectorate, spoke about the role of internal and special control established in the Inspectorate and the powers of internal control inspectors and stressed the importance of reporting all irregularities observed in the work of inspectors – whether it is corrupt practices, other illegal or misconduct. Ernaut stated that in the process of investigating possible irregularities in the work of inspectors, the existence of evidence is of great importance and called for the cooperation of employers in that segment.
During the discussion, employers directly asked questions and presented problems to the representatives of the Inspectorate and the Union of Employers’ Associations of RS, which mostly referred to corruption, unequal treatment of small and large entities, gray economy, high fiscal and parafiscal levies, consequences of COVID-19, educational mismatch systems with the needs of employers and, consequently, labor migration. Some of the participants expressed the need for a greater advisory role of inspections to facilitate their compliance with all regulations, as opposed to a predominantly repressive function.
Project manager Sasa Acic welcomed the readiness of the Republic Inspectorate to cooperate in activities aimed at educating employers and reducing corruption risks, announcing the initiative of the Union of RS Employers’ Associations to analyze and eliminate conflicts in the competencies of various levels of inspection services in Republic of Srpska. He added that this is the third round table in a row in Srpska on this topic, and announced the holding of two more in the coming period.
These activities are part of the project “Reduction of corruption risks in the work of inspection services in the RS” implemented by the Union of Employers of RS.
The project is implemented within the broader program “Support to Citizens in the Fight against Corruption” implemented by the Centers for Civil Initiatives (CCI), as the main implementer with the financial support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).