Montenegro’s permanent seasonal-worker law could be adopted by the end of the year, the ministry responsible for labour said. The draft has been in parliamentary procedure since February. The Directorate for Labour Relations said employers could be better prepared for the next tourist season if the timetable is met.
The initiative is intended to provide domestic workers with greater job security and help address the country’s chronic labour shortage. It is aimed, among others, at residents, unemployed people, students and pensioners.
Dragan Purko Ivančević, a member of the Tourism and Hospitality Committee of the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, called for an assessment of how the law and the proposed Euro model would work together before they are adopted and implemented. The model changes the calculation of wages and labour costs, he said, and tourism businesses with highly seasonal operations could struggle with new obligations if the model and contribution system are not aligned.
Ivančević said it must be established how wages and contributions would fit together and who would cover costs during months when tourism facilities are closed. He also warned against adopting the two economic measures separately while expecting them to function as one system.
Tourism expert and professor Ivo Županović said questions including the law on student and school-student work, and aligning education with tourism businesses’ needs, should be resolved before the seasonal-worker law is adopted. He also said it remained unclear who would pay contributions and whether that part of the proposal would be implemented after the Euro model was introduced.
Under the current draft, employers would pay insurance for permanent seasonal workers during winter, while the state would pay them a benefit of 108 euros. Županović described the proposed winter payment as inadequate, while saying the effort to establish permanent seasonal work was positive.
