Monstat's data that the annual inflation is 5,2 percent could lead to the final start of the implementation of the Agreement on the salary policy of employees financed from the budget, which was signed by the unions and the Government in December last year, or to its termination.
The agreement stipulates that if inflation exceeds two percent, the signatories are obliged to negotiate the amount and manner of salary increases in the public sector. However, in order for the Agreement to be interpreted in favor of the employees, it is necessary for the budget to be in balance, and the Montenegrin budget is in the red.
In the agreement, the trade unions undertook not to organize strikes if the Government fulfills its part of the obligations.
One of the signatories of the Agreement, the president of the Education Trade Union of the Union of Free Trade Unions (USS), Zvonko Pavićević, told "Vijesti" that the best thing would be for the USS to cancel its participation in the Agreement, which has not even come into force, and there is a danger that the Government will start applying it to the detriment of employees. .
Zvonko Pavićević
"We suspect that the Government only signed the document because of the item that allows it to start negotiations on salary reductions. This does not suit us, because the text foresees a lot of useful things, such as control of the budget, tax and employment policies, the formation of parity commissions, but none of that is allowed in practice," Pavićević said.
He reminded that the preparation of the budget for the next year is in progress and that any increase in wages based on the Agreement would have to be calculated now and added that USS did not participate in the writing of the budget, and that this is contrary to the Agreement.
Commenting on the inflation of 5,2 percent, which was calculated by Monstat two days ago, Pavićević said that the USS will soon have sessions at all levels and will announce its final position.
"We will see what can be done. He should have official data on GDP and annual inflation, so we'll see if we can ask for an increase and if the other signatory will ask for negotiations on a reduction because the GDP is below 2,5 percent," he explained.
According to data from the Ministry of Finance, budget revenues for the period January-October this year are 11 percent lower than planned
"This is my personal opinion and that of the education union. We don't know what our colleagues from health, universities and other trade unions think about that proposal, but partial or no implementation is not suitable for us," Pavićević pointed out.
He said that joint control of money from the budget, planning of spending money, employment, tax policy, suppression of the gray economy, and all of that should have been done by parity teams, but that USS does not know what is planned for next year in this regard.
"If they didn't want to do it this year, nor did they allow us to do it for the upcoming year, then why should we accept any conversation. We will advocate that the Agreement be rejected as a whole because we are afraid that they will abuse it when it suits them", said Pavićević and added that at the level of the Coordination Committee, which is in charge of controlling the implementation of the Agreement, they recently had a meeting "where only empty talk, and nothing concrete about technological redundancies or voluntary layoffs".
"We don't know if funds have been allocated for that program, and people have come forward to terminate their employment by agreement, but they don't know anything further. It's just a dead letter on paper that no longer makes any sense," he concluded.
Yesterday, "Vijesti" failed to get a comment from representatives of the Union of Trade Unions of Montenegro who signed the Agreement.
Due to the shortfall in the budget, earnings may also decrease
Negotiations on wage reductions are foreseen in the first article, and if during the period of validity of the Agreement real GDP growth is below two percent or the budget deficit is realized in the amount of two percent of GDP or more, the signatories begin negotiations on the amount and method of reduction earnings in the public sector.
"If real GDP growth exceeds 3,5 percent, the signatories commit to negotiations on the amount and manner of salary increases in the public sector, if during the implementation of the agreement there is a significant change in the financial situation, the signatories commit to negotiations on wages," he states. in the first article of the Agreement.
According to data from the Ministry of Finance, budget revenues for the period January-October this year are 11 percent lower than planned.
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