In 15 Montenegrin local self-governments, in the period from 2022 to 2024, more than 343.591,76 euros were paid for compensations due to the non-use of annual vacations. At the top is Bar with 159.274,91 euros, followed by Podgorica with 106.805,38, and only then, with much lower amounts, Žabljak (17.130,41) and Kolašin (11.652,2).
In this period, Petnjica, Cetinje and Zeta did not pay benefits due to unused vacation, according to the investigation by "Vijesti".
A complaint was filed against the municipalities of Budva and Ulcinj due to the silence of the administration.
The municipal administrations in Kotor, Tivat and Bijelo Polje did not specify the amounts that were paid out on this basis, and the Secretariat for Economy and Finance in Gusinje said that they did not have the requested information.
More than half of the total sum was paid in the municipality of Bar, excluding 2024.
To the President of the Municipality of Bar Dušan Raičević EUR 3.082,56 was paid at the end of December last year for vacations that he did not use in 2018 and 2019.
To the former president of that local administration Zoran Srzentić In 2018, EUR 7.856,58 was compensated for the period from 2015 to 2018.
Marija Tosković Kaluđerović, head of the cabinet of the president of the municipality, was entitled to 3.795,33 euros for the six years during which she did not take annual vacations, i.e. for 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2019.
Vido Dabanović, former secretary of the Secretariat for Property, Representation and Investments, received 18.008,46 euros for the period from 2008 to 2019.
Among those who charged for not using annual leave are i Vesko Gvozdenović, former secretary of the Secretariat for Communal Housing Affairs and Environmental Protection (2.385,00), Svetlana Gažević, secretary of the Secretariat for Local Self-Government (9.951,53), Zoran Radojicic, former chief administrator (9.246,18), Ivana Backović, secretary of the Secretariat for Finance (4.931,36)...
Constant presence is necessary
They did not take vacations because, as they told "Vijesti" at the time, it was not possible due to the existing work process within the secretariat of the Municipality of Bar, the volume of work and the necessity of the constant presence of employees at the workplace.
"It is important to emphasize that a significant part of the compensation to these persons was paid for the periods when the said persons were not in secretarial or managerial positions but were employed as civil servants. Also, all compensations refer to the years and period in which the law provided such a right to the employee", they told "Vijesta" from the Municipality of Bar.
For compensation due to unused vacations, the Capital City of Podgorica paid 2022 euros in the period from 2024 to 106.805,38. Of that sum, almost half, 45.089,1 euros, was awarded to 30 employees of the Public Institution for Accommodation, Rehabilitation and Resocialization of Users of Psychoactive Substances - Podgorica, on Kakaricka Gora.
Compensation was paid for unused vacations from 2009 to 2023.
The municipality of Nikšić has paid 2020 euros for unused holidays for the last five years (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 4.813). If the payment from 2022 is also taken into account, when one worker was paid 2013 euros as compensation for unused vacation days from 2020 to 2.577, the figure is 7.390 euros.
The most money was paid to the former head of the Communal Police, Novici Milović, whose mandate ended on July 1, 2022. About 2020 euros were paid to him as compensation for the unused part of annual leave for 2021, 2022 and 3.382. He had the most unused vacation days in 2021 (26), the year before he did not use 24 vacation days, while in the year of the termination of his mandate, 2022, he did not use 13 days.
Milinko Đurović, who worked in the Secretariat for Communal Affairs and Traffic, retired on November 27 last year. Since he had 24 unused vacation days last year, he was paid 731 euros.
Darko Gardašević, whose employment at the Secretariat for Investments and Projects ended on October 31, 2022, was paid 413 euros, because he did not use 19 vacation days that year.
Biljani Bezmarević, whose employment as head of the Internal Audit Service was terminated on March 9 last year, was paid 2022 euros for five unused vacation days for 286.
In addition to the mentioned payments, it is 2022 Stanislavka Kontić, an independent clerk in the Secretariat for Finance, Development and Entrepreneurship, was paid 2.577 euros in compensation for unused vacation days for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Solutions instead of judgments
In the period from 2022 to 2024, the Municipality of Pljevlja paid 7.995 euros in compensation for unused vacations for ten employees in the local administration, most of whom were in management positions.
Not a single payment was made on the basis of a court verdict, but on the basis of the decision of the president of the municipality, the Secretary, and other managers in the local administration.
The most money - 2.002 euros, was paid out Better Joksović, the former Acting Chief of the Communal Police in Pljevlja. This amount was paid to Joksović as compensation for the unused 33 days of vacation in 2023. The decision was made by the President of the Municipality on January 11, 2024. Dario Vranes.
Vraneš also brought a decision to pay 1.958 euros and Miladinka Kamberović, to the former acting secretary of the Secretariat for Inspection Affairs, and the beneficiaries upon termination of office. She was paid EUR 13 for 2023 days of unused annual leave from 865, and EUR 17 for the 2024 days of annual leave from 1.093. The decision was made on September 9 this year.
On June 6, 2023, Vraneš also signed a decision on the payment of EUR 882 in compensation for the unused 16 days of annual leave from 2023 to the former dismissed secretary of the Secretariat for Social Activities Emina Salihović.
Previous President of the Municipality Rajko Kovacevic, on February 28, 2022, issued a decision to pay 872 euros Sead Vesnić, former director of the Property Directorate, as compensation for 17 days of unused vacation from 2021 and one month from 2022.
The former head of the Budget Service of the Secretariat for Finance was paid EUR 1.231 for 23 days of annual leave from 2023 as compensation for unused annual leave.
The decision was made on October 25, 2023 by the Secretary of the Secretariat for Finance Vladan Anicic.
Mladen Marković, the local public revenue inspector, was paid 453 euros for 10 days of unused vacation from last year. The decision was signed by the acting director of the Administration of Local Public Revenues Bojan Lucic.
Independent consultant in the Service of the Manager of the Municipality of Pljevlja Bajo Tanjević due to the mutual termination of employment, 884 euros were paid, i.e. 782 euros for unused vacation from 2021 and 102 euros from 2022. The decision was made by the then manager of the municipality Nataša Marković.
The least amount of money - 77 euros, for 8 days of unused annual leave was paid Emina Hasanbegović, gerontohomemakers in the Secretariat for Social Activities.
Her decision was signed by the then secretary Emina Salihović.
Names without amounts
Reimbursements for unused vacations were requested and received by three officials, i.e., employees of the former Kolasin government. The right to this type of compensation was awarded to the former president of the Municipal Assembly (SO). Milan Đukić (Group of voters) who allegedly did not take annual leave from July 9, 2018 to December 15, 2022, that is, during the entire mandate. He was paid 5.591 euros based on damages for unused vacations.
Neither did his close associate, the secretary of the Assembly Ognjen Šćepanović (DPS), allegedly, did not rest in 2019, 2021, 2022 and part of 2023, while he was in that position, so he received close to 3.500 euros as compensation on that basis.
This type of compensation, in the amount of 2.586 euros, was also paid to the former commander of the Protection and Rescue Service. Željko Darmanović. As it was determined, he did not use a proportionate part of the annual vacations in 2018, 2019 and the second part of the annual vacation in 2021.
Compensation was paid last year, based on the resolution signed by the President of the Municipality for Darmanović Petko Bakić, and for Đukić and Šuković, the president of the Parliamentary Committee for Elections and Appointments Dušan Šuković.
Former president of the Municipality of Tivat Siniša Kusovac submitted a request for compensation for not using annual leave in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The Agency for Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes issued a decision obliging the Municipality of Tivat to pay Kusovac EUR 2020 in damages due to unused annual leave for 2.372,07.
Lawyer Ivana Kovačević, the attorney of the former first man of Tivat, announced, as stated in the decision, that she will request compensation for the previous two years before the court, in civil proceedings.
In this period, the Municipality of Tivat passed decisions on the payment of compensation for not using annual leave for another eight people, but they did not specify the amounts in the answer.
In addition to Tivat, the local administrations of Kotor and Bijelo Polje also provided names, but not the amounts they paid on this basis.
"News" got this information with the help of the MANS application "Ask the institutions".
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