"Markets and markets" did not operate at a loss in 2022, said the Podgorica city company.
They reacted to the text "CIN-CG: Business of municipal enterprises - bastions of the party, leaders of losses", published in "Vijesti".
"The text in question mentions the operations of the company 'Tržnice i pijace' doo and states, among other things: 'The business result in 2020 was minus 249 thousand, in 2021 plus three thousand, and in 2022 again minus 22 thousand, so that last year it reached the highest a minus of 272 thousand euros.'
"The given information for the year 2022 is not correct, because our Company did not operate with a loss at all, but the year ended with a positive result in the amount of 22.583 euros. It is possible that it is a technical error, but in order to accurately inform the public, we are obliged to react.
"In addition, we must state some other facts.
"Executive director Mirjana Purić was not at the head of the company 'Tržnice i pijace' during 2020, but took office in March 2021. Regardless of that fact, the text ignores the fact that this is the year during which she was the Covid pandemic and that our facilities where the grocery markets are, which is the largest part of the Company's income, were closed, that is, the tenants did not pay rent for 3 months, and that a special regime was implemented at the green markets, which required significantly higher costs than usual that had to be reflected in the business result.
"During 2021, we also had a period of closure of buildings and the transfer of the Tuzi market to the ownership of the Municipality of Tuzi, i.e. their company, in accordance with the delimitation. In addition to all those aggravating circumstances, that and the next year (2022) ended with a positive financial result.
"At the end of 2023, the business result was negative, as stated, but due to specific circumstances, and not because of bad business decisions and non-domestic relations. There are two main reasons for this result. The first is because the bookkeeping recorded reservations on the basis of legal disputes initiated by the Company, and related to labor claims, for the period 2008-2022. As of today, we can say that the employees will not exercise their rights in this, but to a significantly smaller amount, which will be recorded this year.
"In addition, from November 01.11.2023, 15, the new Branch Collective Agreement entered into force, which implied a significant increase in the wages of employees, so it directly affected the result. We note that some XNUMX days ago, the Constitutional Court of Montenegro declared this Collective Agreement unconstitutional.
"Finally, we must state that, according to current data and projections, the year 2024 will end with a positive business result.
"The average number of employees in 2020 was 155, in 2021 151 employees, in 2022 149 and in 2023 150 employees," the response reads.
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