The Union of Free Trade Unions of Montenegro (USSCG) has already received feedback from citizens following the start of increased salary payments at the beginning of this month, announced the organization’s Secretary General, Srđa Keković, who added that they expect employers to honor the agreements.
Keković told Radio Montenegro that most of the complaints from citizens were related to the existence of two minimum wages and the calculation of benefits defined by law or collective agreements, particularly in relation to the minimum wage.
“For example, the allowance that an employee receives in the case of the death of a close family member. If it states that they are entitled to a one-time monetary assistance of three minimum wages, the interpretation that we do not support is that an employee with a secondary school education or lower would receive 1,800 EUR, while someone with a higher or university education would receive 2,400 EUR. The same issue applies to the winter allowance or other similar benefits,” Keković said.
Ivana Đođić from the Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Dialogue responded by explaining that these obligations are primarily defined by the collective agreement, and announced potential changes to it.
“The Ministry and the Government will certainly take action in the near future, in dialogue with social partners, to find an adequate measure that satisfies all involved parties,” Đođić stated.
Employees also believe that the allowance for years of service should be calculated based on the new minimum wage amounts, but the Ministry clarified that the current legal solution must still be applied.
Additionally, a woman on maternity leave complained to the union that her salary remained the same as the previous month.
Đođić clarified the situation: “If your question concerns whether a woman on maternity leave who previously received 450 EUR will now receive 600 EUR for work requiring a secondary education or 800 EUR for work requiring a higher education, the answer is yes. This is the minimum amount that must be paid.”
The interlocutors emphasized that the increase in salaries under the “Europe Now 2” program has mostly been implemented in the public sector, while it is still to come in the private sector.
Keković expects employers to fulfill the agreements.
“When the first increase of the minimum wage to 450 EUR was announced, there were discussions that employers might try to ask employees to return part of the increased salary. This threat still exists,” Keković added.
Under the “Europe Now 2” program, the largest increases in minimum wages were for employees with a secondary school education (150 EUR) and university graduates (350 EUR). For others, the increase was around 5 percent. Since each calculation has its specificities, the union urges employees to contact them, while the Ministry reminds that the Labor Inspectorate is now under their jurisdiction and is available to help.
