The Union of Public Administration and Judiciary Employees will protest again on March 17th, and if there are no results, they will organize the next gathering in front of the building of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Montenegro.
This was heard at the protest organized by this union today in front of the Government building.
The area in front of the Government was enclosed by a metal fence, so those gathered were on nearby Stanko Dragojevića Boulevard.
The president of the union, Nenad Rakočević, said that they want amendments to the Sectoral Collective Agreement with the aim of increasing the job complexity coefficients by ten percent for last year and this year, and for employees to finally have the opportunity to resolve their housing issues.
They are also demanding the withdrawal of draft laws - on salaries, civil servants and state employees, on local officials, and, among other things, amendments to the laws on internal trade and consumer protection.
One of the demands is the dismissal of the Minister of Labor, Employment and Social Dialogue, Naida Nišić, due to, as they allege, illegal activities and other irregularities in her work.
"We do not know the reason why the Government is obstructing the formation of a housing cooperative, but we assume that it is a well-known political project. We are not interested in whether the aforementioned project is imaginary, the next step is the procedural epilogue," Rakočević said.
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He emphasized that he would not remain silent because the economic situation is bad, that there is no money to increase salaries in the public sector, that official vehicles are being used excessively, while 7,5 million euros have been allocated for political parties and there is not a cent for them.
"They increased the salaries of the Army, and the civil servants will increase theirs by 30 percent. It is easy to conclude that public administration and the judiciary are an expense for them and that we represent a burden to them," he emphasized, adding that despite everything, the central level lacks quality personnel.
Rakočević emphasized that they want meritocracy and equal treatment, and that the Government has a stepmotherly attitude towards these 23.000 employees. He added that they also want to limit trade margins due to high prices.
"Ministers should state whether public administration employees should have higher salaries. A rally is scheduled for March 17th to put pressure, and we are considering holding a third one in front of the European Delegation building to inform them about compliance with Chapter 19," he said.
Rakočević claims that they have already informed the Delegation about these problems, as well as the Embassy of the United States of America, but that they will also inform other embassies.
Their salaries, he claims, are on average the lowest in the country, meaning that those with a high school diploma and 20 years of experience earn around 610 euros, while those with a college degree earn around 820 euros. He said that newly employed people also receive 600 euros.
"We are demanding the dismissal of the Minister of Labor, who has called into question the credibility of the entire Government through her unprofessional, illegal and bad actions. The case of her actions is currently active before the Special State Prosecutor's Office, and we also have confirmation from the Inspection Administration that the Minister did not act legally and did not request from the Government the dismissal and new appointment of four acting (acting) representatives of the high management staff from the Ministry. She enabled these unemployed persons to decide, sign and make decisions, and in the end she also gave them their salary even though their mandate had officially expired," he stressed, adding that he was protecting representatives of the Confederation of Trade Unions, and that they also suspect that signatures were forged when submitting documentation.
He emphasized that they expect the Supreme and Special State Prosecutor's Offices to react and verify the reports against Nišić, and they are also demanding her dismissal from the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić.
Rakočević added that they want the right to a dignified life, work, equal treatment by the state and social justice, and that it is time for everyone to get serious.
He also claims that due to the way pensions are calculated, they will be 25 percent lower tomorrow.
Vice President of the Trade Union Edin Mušović pointed out that they protested a year ago on the same occasion, when they were promised a salary increase and that they were deceived.
"The Prime Minister said that the Union should be patient and we are here today to admonish him for what he said," stressed Mušović.
He added that the formation of a housing cooperative has been postponed, and they are being sold the story of Velje Brdo. As he says, the mayors of the municipalities were ready to provide plots and exempt the construction from utilities, but the Government stopped the processes.
"We work for minimal income and that's why we are fighting to change things," Mušović pointed out.
The president of the Trade Union Organization of State Prosecutors, Nemanja Bulatović, said that the protest is a cry for unresolved long-standing problems.
He stated that in the state prosecutor's organization, workers are not satisfied with their salaries, that they have a lot of responsibility, inadequate premises...
"The State Prosecutors' Union is one of the initiators of the salary increase for state prosecutors, however, we do not have our representatives in that Working Group. Today's protest is a fight for respect for institutions and the dignity of employees," he added, emphasizing that they want to participate.
He pointed out that they have a meeting at the Ministry of Finance and that it is scheduled for March 10th.
Trade unionist Vera Banović revealed that she spent 20 years in the judiciary and that her salary is 630 euros, although she is entitled to compensation as a master's degree holder.
She added that a judge cannot do without associates, while no one mentions them in the context of salary increases.
"We are all in debt because with these kinds of earnings, there is no other way to survive," said Banović.
Goran Dašić stated that they are asking that the Government respect them and have a partnership relationship, but also that these workers implement all laws passed by the executive branch.
"Our status is the worst compared to all our colleagues in public administration in all the countries of the former Yugoslavia," Dašić emphasized.
He called on Finance Minister Novica Vuković to say whether it is fair that officials' salaries are increased by 30 percent, while university graduates who work for him receive 830 euros.
Representative of the Administration and Judiciary Union, Milena Đuričić, emphasized that colleagues lack courage because they are fighting for their future and dignity.
She pointed out that the Law on Civil Servants and Employees will evaluate workers twice a year, but that they will be evaluated by those with a lower level of education than themselves, as well as those who came to those positions through godfathers and other connections.
Đuričić emphasized that they were not taken into account when increasing salaries and that they were ignored, even though the terms of the collective agreement are the same as for education.
"Perhaps the government would be more likable if we unquestioningly approved all decisions," she emphasized.
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