Almost a quarter of employees at the Podgorica-based company "Vodovod i kanalizacija" were on sick leave during the second half of last year, and the management does not have a model based on which temporary incapacity for work could be controlled, but they plan to introduce a system of evaluation and measurement of work performance.
The local "Čistoća" is also facing a similar problem, and the company said that they have contacted the Ministry of Health and the Health Insurance Fund on several occasions over the past two years.
"Vodovod" said that they have been trying to find a model for controlling sick leave and employee absence for a long time.
The company he manages Aleksandar Nišavić, has 550 employees, and they told "Vijesti" that they have repeatedly contacted the relevant institutions and commissions and "asked them to check the justification of the sick leave."
According to data from "Vodovod", the highest number of employees on sick leave - 144 of them - was last August.
"In July last year, there were 133 employees, in September 127, in October 129, and in November 120. There were 129 employees on sick leave in December," said Vodovod.
The company said that, despite the need to hire workers for positions that could not be covered by those currently hired, they "managed to reduce the number of employees by 25."
"In the coming period, we will continue to reduce the number of employees in those segments of the company where there is a surplus, by adequately treating those who do not respect their work obligations, and by introducing a system of performance appraisal and measurement, which, in addition to the natural attrition projected at around 2025 employees for 15, will reduce the number of employees and also partially relieve the company's costs," said Vodovod.
"Čistoća" says that out of 649 employees, an average of 2024 were on sick leave during 132.
"The problem of sick leave is one of the most significant that accompanies the work of our company in everyday work activities, especially if we take into account that on average about 20 percent of employees were on sick leave, compared to the number of permanently engaged employees. In the past two years, this company has repeatedly contacted the competent state institutions - the Ministry of Health and the Health Insurance Fund, and since September last year, intensive cooperation with the Fund has been established, so that in that month the Company submitted a request to this institution to verify the grounds for the inability to work of 82 employees," said the company, headed by Dennis Hot.
From the office of the director of "Zelenil" Petar Krivokapić They said they have a total of 173 employees.
"Over the past year, an average of 27 employees were on sick leave per month. The lowest number of sick leave was recorded in May (18 employees), while the highest was in September (37 employees). In February, there were 20 employees on sick leave, and in March 23. In April, 20 of them were temporarily unable to work, in June 24, in July 36, and in August 30. In October, 31 were on sick leave, in November 36, and in December 29," said "Zelenil", adding that last year they did not control the sick leave of employees in that company.
In "Sports Facilities" and Parking Service Podgorica, the situation with the number of employees available to the employer is more stable.
“Sports facilities”, whose executive director is Aleksandar Vuckovic, have 105 employees.
"In the period from January 1 to December 31 last year, there were a total of nine employees on sick leave. Our company is not authorized to control sick leave," they briefly replied to "Vijesti".
The Podgorica-based company Parking Servis has 138 employees, of which an average of 12 were on sick leave last year.
"Last year, we did not assess that additional control of prescribed sick leave was necessary," explained the Parking Service.
Podgorica's "Putevi" told "Vijesti" that they have 303 employees - 162 of them are permanent and 141 are temporary.
"In the period from January 1 to December 31 last year, six employees were temporarily prevented from working for a period longer than 30 days. During 2024, 'Putevi' did not need to control justified sick leave prescriptions of employees," the cabinet said. Radoš Zečević.
The Agency for Construction and Development of Podgorica, headed by him Dragan Senic, has 54 employees, and during the past year, 29 of them used the opportunity to take sick leave.
"We have been conducting sick leave control by contacting the Ministry of Health and the Health Fund, for two employees. However, we have not yet received a response," they said.
The Health Insurance Fund has previously announced several times that, in order to prevent the abuse of sick leave, amendments to the law are necessary, as well as the education of health workers...
The Fund has also formed several commissions, whose goal is to check and prevent the abuse of the institute of temporary incapacity for work.
According to the new Law on Mandatory Health Insurance, the verification of temporary incapacity for work determined by a selected team or selected doctor is carried out by a commission established by the Health Insurance Fund.
"... While the verification of temporary incapacity for work determined by the competent medical commission is carried out by a commission established by the Ministry of Health," the Directorate for Inspection Affairs previously explained to "Vijesti".
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