Average monthly income participants in the strike sa secondary with a professional qualification, of which over 70% are among the strikers, amounts to over 1.000 EUR, which for those positions with secondary education is up to 39% more compared to comparable positions in the industry in which Telekom operates. That would be their average January earnings if they were at work, so there are no claims that the existence of employees in this company is threatened.
Since Mr. Burić often claims that the conditions are bad (he says "exploitation") for Telekom employees, here are some facts about the conditions for all Telekom employees:
- average salary in Crnogorski Telekom in the previous year it amounted to around 1.300 EUR;
- lowest individual net earnings paid out in 2022 in our company amounts to slightly less than 900 EUR, and for comparable positions in our industry, Telekom pays up to 30% more;
- thanks to the good results achieved during 2022, the company was able to provide all employees with gift cards in the monetary value of 300 EUR;
- also, thanks to the good results achieved in 2021, in April 2022, the company provided all employees with a salary supplement in the amount of 260 EUR;
- back in September 2022, the company announced an average salary increase of 6% to all employees starting January 1, 2023, which additionally raises the average salary in the Company, as well as the highest and lowest salaries.
The company also, despite the fact that the Annex to the Collective Agreement, which contains the most important benefits for employees, expired on December 31.12.2022, XNUMX. after an agreement was not reached with the management of the union, it guaranteed the continuation of benefits to employees until the signing of the new KU Annex, and the guarantees included benefits for a duration of three years they are worth EUR 3,1 million, and among them are:
- Health Insurance for employees with an insured amount of €1.500 limit per year in private healthcare institutions, without the necessary participation by our employees;
- introduction of bonuses in the total amount of 200.000 EUR, with an increase in the budget for bonuses by 150% (that is, additional 300.000 EUR) in case of achieving ambitious company goals and individual employee goals;
- continuation of subsidization recreation, that is, a gym for employees;
- continuation of subsidization summer and winter holidays employees;
- continued payment health care for children employees,
- severance pay in the amount of up to 40 monthly salaries and in the maximum amount of 67.300 EUR;
- in the company you can learn and develop any competencies, skills. In Crnogorski Telekom, there are no restrictions, whoever wants to learn and develop - that's what he was offered, at the expense of the Company.
The company is ready to immediately sign the Annex to the Collective Agreement, which extends the benefits listed above for a period of 3 years, and we hereby deny the incorrect and manipulative claims of the head of the Union of Telecom of Montenegro about the alleged termination of the collective agreement or even more - the termination of the union in our company.
The company has repeatedly offered the leaders of the union to put all available budgets on the table (except for the mentioned benefits for employees, which are guaranteed) and to agree on how much, in addition to the already provided 600 thousand euros, will go to additional salary increases, how much for sports games , Trade Union, etc.
However, the head of the Trade Union Mr. Burić (and those who support him) refuses it for reasons known only to him and ultimately requests that the existing salaries be increased by a minimum of 30%, to which the Company cannot agree, because it would lead the company to a loss, since the amount necessary for such an increase the salary exceeds the annual profit of the company. Accepting his ultimate demands (and the demand for a 30% salary increase is not the only one) would mean that the Company is operating at a loss. Does anyone think this would bring job security and any long-term benefit to employees? The company will not make a decision that would not be in the interest of the long-term business, and consequently of the employees themselves, in order to "pacify Burić and his advisers".
No one disputes the right of 168 employees to strike, just as no one can dispute the right of 307 employees not to participate in the strike. The company provided the participants in the strike with all the conditions prescribed by the laws of Montenegro to exercise their right, as well as all the working conditions for those who work. Earnings are always received by those who are at the minimum of the work process, as well as the President of the Trade Union, for whom it is a professional position in Telekom. Employees who are on strike are not people who are out of work. All of them have a job waiting for them when the Union leader decides to start a social dialogue within the Company and the information put out by the Union leader that anyone has been employed in their positions is not correct, which was confirmed on two occasions by the competent inspection.
Crnogorski Telekom will not agree to the argument of force over the company, will not agree to untruths, threats, blackmail and interference by third-party trade union organizations, which for several months have been trying to distribute the revenues of a private company without insight into its operations, without basic competencies for running such a company, without understanding fundamental principles of market operations and basic terms such as income, operating profit, net profit.
We firmly believe that social dialogue should be conducted between relevant subjects within each company, not in the media, on the street or with the mediation of political subjects. The Company's door for a sustainable agreement is always open, so that together, within the organization, we seek solutions in a dialogue based on realistic indicators and with the awareness that salaries and benefits for employees, as well as investments, must be earned on the market.
Because if we behave unmarketably and spend more than we have, it inevitably leads to dubiousness, which cannot bring good to anyone, not even the employees. Crnogorski Telekom is part of the Deutsche Telekom Group, but it is a company that operates on a very dynamic telecommunications market with strong competition among three other operators and does not receive subsidies from the parent company, but he finances all benefits, salaries, investments and other activities exclusively from his own business and income.
Crnogorski Telekom is one of the best employers in Montenegro and will remain so, despite the challenge it is currently facing. The company's image as one of the best employers in the country is supported by the fact that we have recorded less than 1% of desired departures from the company in the last 4 years (with the exception of the IT sector, which is also characterized by a high turnover of people in other companies). We believe that it will remain so, that soon we will all find ourselves together again on the same task - to continue to be the first and right choice for our users.
