Vlada Milojko Spajić, which recently celebrated 100 days of work, has not yet disclosed how the third item of the Europe Now 2 program - seven-hour working hours - will be implemented.
Last year, in a congratulatory message on the occasion of the International Labor Day, May 1, Spajić said that with the Europe Now 2 (ES2) program, he would propose reducing the full-time working hours from 40 to 35 hours, that is, to seven-hour working hours.
"Data tells us that employees in Montenegro have one of the longest working weeks in Europe, over 42 hours on average, which is more than the average of European Union (EU) countries by as much as six hours per week, and we hear that everyone is talking on European standards. That is why, with Europe Now 2, we are proposing to reduce full-time working hours from 40 hours to 35 hours, that is, to seven-hour working hours," said the leader of the Europe Now Movement (PES).
The Cabinet of the Prime Minister did not answer the questions of "Vijesti" when shorter working hours will be introduced, based on which analysis it was determined that seven-hour working hours are better than eight-hour working hours, as well as what are the positive consequences of shortening the working week.
The PES platform for the parliamentary elections held in June last year was shorter working hours, with an increase in the minimum wage and pension.
Spajić, after the constitution of the executive power, pointed out in his exposition that he would introduce shorter working hours, so that every citizen would have more time for family and friends.
He confirmed this at the Prime Minister's Hour at the end of December, answering a question from his predecessor Dritan Abazović, who accused him of "deceiving the citizens".
The Prime Minister then promised that he will treat public finances responsibly when it comes to all the measures of the ES2 program.
"These are an increase in the minimum and average wages and a reduction in working hours. None of these measures will harm employers or the state budget," said Spajić.
Pleasant to hear, or grounded
The Union of Employers of Montenegro (UPCG) pointed out that decisions affecting the economy, employees and the state cannot and should not be made based on an assessment of what is pleasant to hear.
They told "Vijesta" that messages, and especially decisions, must be responsible and grounded, and made based on the real situation and indicators.
They noted that the economy remained deprived of analysis or at least additional clarifications.
"...How would the same be implemented, to what extent can it affect the work processes of companies, which activities will be able to implement the same, and what will happen to the branches in which the workplaces are covered 24 hours a day", said the UPCG -a.
They said that the Executive Board of the UPCG, when considering the Initiative to shorten working hours, expressed doubt that not all possible effects and consequences that it could cause were taken into account.
"He is afraid that the bad effects would outweigh the positive ones, that is, that the implementation of the mentioned measures could lead to a decrease, rather than the expected increase, in budget revenues, as well as the productivity and competitiveness of the economy", they emphasized.
The government should show sincerity by changing the law
It is certain that the sincerity of the executive power's intention to implement the seven-hour working time will be seen through the current process of negotiations on amendments to the Labor Law, the Union of Free Trade Unions of Montenegro (USSCG) told "Vijesta".
They pointed out that they had previously submitted a request to the Working Group for amending the Labor Law to amend the article of the Law defining full-time work on a weekly basis.
"In November 2022, the delegates of the IV Congress of the USSCG adopted, among others, the Resolution on dignified work, which obliges the management of the USSCG to try in the following mandate period to provide employees with the right to a 35-hour work week through the amendment of the labor legislation", they explained from this trade union organizations.
They announced that since the creation of the USSCG, one of their key priorities has been the fight for dignified working conditions, primarily, as they say, the right to limited working hours in order to reconcile professional and family obligations.
They said that the aforementioned Resolution is the logical sequence of events of the trade union struggle on that front, and that they therefore welcome the Government's intention.
They added that they do not yet know whether specific activities have been undertaken in this regard.
Shorter working hours - higher productivity
According to a 2012 study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), longer working hours reduce worker productivity.
The Union of Free Trade Unions says that numerous studies conducted in EU countries show that shortening the weekly working time, while maintaining the right to job security and working conditions, contributes to higher employee productivity.
"Apart from productivity, higher motivation and efficiency of employees, i.e. their satisfaction, was noted. Shortening working hours, according to research by numerous universities in Europe, also indicate that by shortening working hours, employees would be more rested and mentally healthier, and thus suffer less from burnout syndrome at work, be more satisfied with themselves, and have more time for their families as the basic unit of society. , or it was easier for them to decide for themselves," they say.
Changes in the EU were preceded by test periods
However, the Union of Employers warns that although the initiators of this idea, as they are called, refer to the practice in certain EU countries, it should be pointed out that the possible introduction of such changes was preceded by test periods.
"... Precisely because of the assessment of the impact on the economy, the level of productivity, competitiveness, the impact on the budget, the reduction of unemployment, the cost and the number of days lost due to sick leave, etc.", stated UPCG.
They say that the variety of accepted working time models in EU countries indicates the sensitivity of this issue and the need for detailed analysis.
"Only a few of them have legally regulated weekly working hours of less than 40 hours, the rest are left as an option for companies to regulate the issue internally based on the needs of their processes and market conditions. Productivity in EU countries, which have adopted some of the models of different working hours, is traditionally the highest, not only among EU countries, but also wider, which in our country, and in general in the Balkans, is not exactly data we can brag about," they emphasized.
In 2000, France in two phases, the so-called Aubrey's laws cut working hours to 35 hours, which have been criticized for years by center-right parties. They characterized the laws as unsuccessful, claiming that they did not fulfill their purpose, because there was no increase in the number of employees.
In 2015, a four-day working week with a six-hour day was tested in Sweden. Despite the relatively positive feedback, the Government concluded that such a system would put a financial burden on the economy.
One of the leading Spanish telecommunications companies, "Telefonica", conducted a similar experiment in 2022, but the response of the workers was insufficient, primarily because shorter working hours meant lower wages.
A four-day workweek?
In November 2023, Belgium became the first country in the world to allow employees to fulfill the legal obligation of 40 working hours per week through one less working day. Belgians now have the option of working four 10-hour days instead of five eight-hour days.
Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander de Croix said after the introduction of the new law that its goal is to give companies and employees more freedom to regulate their working hours. Germany, which already has one of the shortest working weeks in Europe (34,2 hours), on February 1 launched a pilot program of a four-day working week involving 45 companies, which will last for six months.
In June 2022, a six-month survey began in Great Britain involving more than 3.300 people and 61 companies. The results of the experiment, which were conducted among others by three renowned world higher education institutions - Oxford, Cambridge and Boston College, were assessed as "extremely successful".
Executives in Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Wales have launched programs or are planning to launch them, while polls in the United States have shown that more than 90 percent of workers see a shorter working week as a positive change, even if they would have to work longer hours. daily level.
Working week in Montenegro 42,8 hours, in the EU 36,4
According to data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), the average working week in Montenegro lasts 42,8 hours and is the second longest in Europe, after Turkey, where the average working week is 42,9 hours.
In EU countries, the working week lasts an average of 36,4 hours and ranges from 32,4 hours in the Netherlands to 39,7 in Greece and Romania.
According to the same data, Montenegro ranks fifth in Europe in the percentage of people who work 49 or more hours a week (12,1 percent). At the top of that list is Turkey (28,1 percent), followed by Great Britain and Ireland (14,1 percent).
In Montenegro, men and women spend similar hours at work (men 43,7 hours, women 41,7 hours). The biggest difference is in Switzerland where men work almost 10 hours more (40,8 vs. 31,1), while in Bulgaria women spend only half an hour less at work (39,5 vs. 39).
As Eurostat states, these data do not only refer to the prescribed weekly working hours, but also include overtime work.
Necessary amendment of the Labor Law
Without changing the Labor Law - there will be no shortening of working hours, say the Union of Free Trade Unions.
They explained that Article 61 of the Law stipulates that full-time working hours are 40 hours in a working week, and that a collective agreement can determine full-time working hours shorter than 40 hours.
"Therefore, it is necessary to amend the Labor Law. Despite the fact that the Labor Law recognizes the possibility of a collective agreement providing for shorter working hours than the legally established maximum, it is clear that without amending the mentioned article of the law, and due to the insufficiently developed culture of social dialogue, without changing the law there will be no reduction of working hours through collective agreements ", they said from USSCG.
Public administration "only serves"
The impression is that the announced shortening of working hours would only benefit the public administration, which is seeing an increasing number of employees day by day, the Employers' Union told "Vijesta".
They point out that, despite the recent increase in wages, the efficiency and effectiveness of public administration is far from the expectations of citizens and the economy.
"We should not lose sight of the fact that, according to international standards, a break is not included in regular working hours, and the discussion on this topic would most likely lead to the introduction of a minimum hourly wage, i.e. payment according to the time translated into work, which is the practice in practically all EU countries", they conclude. from UPCG.
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