SSCG and UGCG: The Culture Union coolly refused to increase the coefficient, ready to leave their members on thin ice

The culture union is ready to publicly promise to support, and then, after the approval of the Government and the submitted opinion of the Ministry of Finance on the increase of the coefficient for the artistic group of jobs, it cold-bloodedly refuses to sign the finished procedure and thus leaves 137 families without a salary increase in the midst of inflation.

This was announced by the Free Union of Culture of Montenegro (SSCG) and the Association of Actors of Montenegro (UGCG), on the occasion of today's announcement by the Ministry of Culture and Media that the representatives of the Culture Union refused to accept the decision to increase the coefficient of the artistic group of jobs.

"The Culture Syndicate never ceases to surprise us with its shameless actions, lies, frauds, manipulations... How far is the depth of that poisoned well called the representative Culture Syndicate?", states the announcement of the Free Culture Syndicate of Montenegro and the Actors' Association of Montenegro.

"Members of the Union of Culture, president Zorica Stijepović, Slađana Sjekloća and Draško Kovačević have proven with this procedure that they have no face, integrity, that the words nobility, honor and honesty are unknown to them," the announcement states.

As they say, perhaps the worst of all is that they are able to leave their members on thin ice, i.e. cancel the Branch Collective Agreement.

"All this, and who knows what else, they would rather accept than sign an increase in the coefficients for the artists," the announcement states.

They add that, "vanity, envy and malice, ironically, seem to be the only spiritual values ​​of the representative Union of Culture, in relation to employees in culture".

All this, despite, as they say, everything that culture tries to teach us.

"Members of the Culture Syndicate, do you really want to be led by people like this? Do you really want to become part of their system by your inaction? What is the price of passivity or worse, supporting such actions," the statement said.

"If this is normal for everyone, then we fully deserve the label of an uncivilized nation and the state of the country we currently live in. And worse," the announcement concludes.

We remind you that the artists were not satisfied with the Branch Collective Agreement on the basis of which the artistic profession was not given an increased income or coefficient, as was foreseen from 20 to 25 percent, as is the case for other employees in cultural institutions, which is why they previously protested.

After the protest in front of the Government building and the meeting with the Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, it was announced from the Office of the Prime Minister that the Culture Union will vote to increase the salary of the artistic group.