The Parliament will consider amendments to the Law on Protection and Rescue in order to extend by three years the deadline in which members of the protection service can achieve favorable retirement conditions, in order to prevent a large outflow of employees and provide new personnel.
Prophet Dusko Stjepović (Democratic Montenegro) requested that the right to a pension under preferential conditions be exercised by the end of 2028, instead of by December 2025 as provided for by law.
"Given the favorable conditions, the deadline for exercising the right to a pension, as well as the high age structure of members of the protection service, a large number of these persons would exercise their right to a pension under preferential conditions, which would lead to a personnel deficit in the protection service, which would jeopardize the functioning of a service that is of immeasurable importance," Stjepović points out in the explanation submitted to the President of the Parliament. Andrija Mandić.
The reason for enacting the amendments to the law was to prevent a large outflow of security personnel in the current year and to train the missing personnel in the coming period, bearing in mind the fact that this is a specific staff that is not available at all times on the labor market, and to enable the presence of experienced personnel.
Article 46f of the Law on Protection and Rescue, which entered into force at the beginning of 2023, states that, exceptionally to the conditions prescribed by the law governing pension and disability insurance, a member of the protection service whose employment terminates at his personal request and with the consent of the commander of the protection service, is entitled to a pension if he reaches at least 50 years of age and 30 years of insurance service, of which at least ten years were effectively spent in jobs where the insurance service service is calculated with an increased duration.
"The pension of a member of the protection service referred to in paragraph 1 of this article shall be determined in the manner prescribed by the law governing pension and disability insurance, provided that when determining the personal coefficient, if it is more favorable for him, the personal coefficient shall be determined based on the salary, or compensation for salary, earned in the calendar year preceding the year of exercising the right to a pension," it states. The law specifies that the amount of the pension shall be increased by 30 percent, provided that the amount of that pension may not exceed the highest amount of the old-age pension determined in accordance with the law governing pension and disability insurance.
The 2023 regulation improved the retirement conditions for members of the protection service.
The previous law stipulated that civil servants were entitled to a pension if they reached at least 53 years of age and had 30 years of insurance service, of which at least 15 years were effectively spent in jobs where insurance service was calculated with an increased duration. The amount of the pension under that law increased by 20, instead of the current 30 percent.
There are about 600 firefighters-rescuers working in Montenegro. In December 2022, four years after it was submitted to the Center for Vocational Education, the vocational training program for the profession of firefighter-rescuer was verified. According to the program, in addition to general requirements, candidates must undergo training - theoretical and practical, and prove the acquired knowledge and skills in a test.
The professional training program for the profession of firefighter-rescuer envisages training lasting three months, of 300 hours, of which 201 are practical and 99 are theoretical.
The Police Academy in Danilovgrad has received a license to implement this program.
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