Ministry of Health: Overtime hours of acting director of IJZG justified

The Ministry of Health has received documentation from the competent inspection body regarding the issue of overtime work by the Acting Director of the Institute of Public Health of Montenegro (IJZCG). Ivan Samardžić and it has been carefully considered within the competence of the Ministry. Considering the nature and scope of the work performed by the Institute, as well as the responsibility of the manager for its continuous functioning, we consider that the engagement of the Acting Director in the overtime regime had a justified basis”.

"Vijesti" was officially told this by the Ministry of Health, headed by Minister Vojislav Šimun.

Samardžić was appointed to the position of Acting Director of the Institute in October 2025 for a period of six months, which was extended for another six months.

"Vijesti" reported from unofficial sources that at the end of August, police officers seized documentation on the operations of the Institute of Public Health of Montenegro (IJZ), while the Podgorica Basic State Prosecutor's Office has been checking the allegations from the criminal report regarding alleged illegalities in the work of that health institution and its first man since the beginning of September. Ivan Samardžić. The editorial source also claims that the actions of the Police Directorate and the ODT were preceded by an inspection by the Labor Inspectorate, which showed that the institution was problematic, among other things, in the way overtime hours are calculated for individual employees, including acting director Samardžić.

Acting inspector Vlatko Popović sent the minutes of the inspection and the findings, among others, to the competent Ministry of Health, as well as to the budget inspection of the Ministry of Finance.

The unofficial findings of "Vijesti" were also confirmed by the Institute, which stated that the position of the management, as well as all previous inspection bodies, is that this institution operates in accordance with positive regulations in all respects.

"Vijesti" asked the Ministry of Health, if it decides on a possible new extension of Samardžić's mandate, whether that decision will be influenced by the fact that the competent authorities are currently investigating the Institute's operations and allegations related to the period of his leadership, or whether you believe that these procedures are not relevant until potential liability is determined.

"The Ministry will, as before, act responsibly and within its jurisdiction, while a decision on a possible extension of the mandate will be made based on an overall assessment of the Institute's work and all relevant facts and circumstances," said the government department.

The budget inspection has not yet checked the legality of the calculation and payment of overtime and incentives at the Institute of Public Health (IJZ), although it received a report on the inspection from the Labor Inspectorate indicating possible irregularities. The Ministry of Finance did not specify for "Vijesti" when the inspection will be carried out, stating that this case will be included in the inspection "in accordance with the Inspection Plan and established priorities."

The Ministry of Finance, headed by Minister Novica Vuković, said that the Budget Inspection had received the Labor Inspectorate's report on the inspection conducted and that it would "consider it within its legally prescribed jurisdiction."

"It is important to point out that the subject of supervision of the Labor Inspectorate and the Budget Inspectorate is significantly different. The Labor Inspectorate is responsible for determining the legality of the introduction and organization of overtime work, while the Budget Inspectorate, in the part related to financial operations, is responsible for controlling the legality and regularity of the calculation and payment of funds from the budget. Given the above, the minutes of the Labor Inspectorate represent relevant information for the actions of the Budget Inspectorate, but in order to fully determine the factual situation, it will be necessary to inspect the relevant documentation of the Institute of Public Health, in the part related to the calculation and payment of overtime work, in accordance with the Law on Salaries of Employees in the Public Sector and other relevant regulations," the Ministry of Finance said.

They explained that in the part related to financial operations, the Budget Inspection is responsible for verifying whether the calculation and payment of salaries, fees and other income, including overtime allowances and incentives, was carried out legally, properly and on the basis of appropriate documentation and records, in accordance with applicable regulations.

As they added, for the purposes of establishing the factual situation, the Budget Inspection will include the aforementioned case in its supervision in accordance with the Supervision Plan and established priorities, request relevant documentation and carry out checks within its jurisdiction.

Inspector Popović, in a letter to Šimun, points out that the records of Samardžić's presence at work for the period from October 2025 to and including February 2026 registered a total of 618 hours and 17 minutes of regular working hours. Popović specified that the salary calculation showed the number of regular and full-time working hours of 174 hours per month, "which makes 870 hours of regular full-time working hours."

"It follows from the above that in the mentioned months full working hours were not achieved during regular working hours. The contracted full working hours are achieved during regular working hours and only the achieved full fund of regular working hours creates the possibility for eventual overtime work. Based on the established facts, it is necessary to analyze the reasons for the introduction of overtime work, this kind of calculation of overtime work, the fund of overtime hours that is repeated in the same volume, the method of payment of the fund of overtime hours that is not recorded in the salary calculations," the letter to the Minister of Health states.