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Mr. Miodrag Oljaca President of the Trade Union of RTV BiH
Dear Mr. Oljaca, I want to take this opportunity to respond to the points raised in your letter, dated 19 January 2001, now repeated in your open letter dated 25 January. Let me first say that I remain committed to involve all the appropriate bodies in the implementation of my Second Decision to reform the public broadcasting sector. This includes the Union. However, I would like to remind you that both you and your members actively participated in the development of the Decision and agreed on its final form prior to issue. Your letter claims that the recent initiatives to implement the decision are "fully improper and opposite to the High Representative's Decision". I want to make it clear to you and your members that I do not share this view. I find it difficult to understand how the generous gift of a fully equipped digital radio station, with transmitters and frequencies covering the entire territory of BiH could possibly be construed as contrary to my Decision. I put it to you that the development of the new system could not possibly be created all at once, as you have demanded in recent meetings. That is why I have tasked the Broadcasting Agent to "direct, supervise and coordinate" the implementation of this tremendously complicated task. As a first step towards creating the Public Broadcasting Service, The Founding Board of PBS has now decided to proceed with the integration of Radio FERN into PBS. This will clearly provide for the first state wide public radio since the war. I fully support this initiative and the Board's decision. I will not permit a "closed shop" approach to the staffing of the new broadcasters. It is contrary to my restructuring Decision, the recent decision of the Founding Board and counter to basic European standards. The Boards of the entity and PBS broadcasters and the Broadcasting Agent have my full support in carrying out their roles as defined in the Decision. The Trade Union has had the opportunity to contribute to the discussion regarding implementation. I hope you will change your current approach and assist as partners in the process. Any other approach would be against the interests of your members, and of the citizens of BiH. I will be happy to meet you, together with the Founding Board, to review progress in implementation when the new management has been appointed and begun work. Sincerely,
Wolfgang Petritsch
Cc: Main Board of the Independent Trade Union of RTV BiH
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