The goal of centralized salary calculation is not to reduce salaries for education employees, but to consistently comply with the law and introduce the principle of equal pay for equal work, the Ministry of Finance announced.
The Education Trade Union (SPCG) will organize a protest on Monday in front of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MPNI), regarding the new salary calculation, which will reduce the salaries of some education workers.
The Ministry of Finance said that the department and the Ministry of National Economy, as well as the Government as a whole, are always committed to constructive dialogue, but that in a state governed by the rule of law there can be no compromise when it comes to the implementation of regulations.
"The goal of centralized salary calculation is not to reduce salaries for education employees, but to consistently comply with the law and introduce the principle of 'equal pay for equal work'," the statement says.
It is emphasized that the inclusion of educational institutions in the Centralized Salary Calculation System does not introduce a new method of calculation, but only software that is already used by 159 spending units of the state budget for salary calculation.
"The union was aware of the uneven practice of billing in schools during the preparatory phase, so it was expected that they themselves would have recognized the need for standardization and legality," the statement said.
The Ministry of Finance said that the COZ system guarantees the same application of the law for everyone - whether they are employees in education or in state administration.
They stated that the Union representative made a number of incorrect claims, including allegations of "hiding" training for accountants and a fictitious timing of the start of implementation.
"The training was conducted transparently, and accountants from educational institutions, contrary to the head of the Union, express satisfaction with the introduction of a unique and modern software solution that will eliminate inconsistencies in work and enable consistent application of regulations in all institutions, which has not been the case so far," the statement said.
The Ministry of Finance stressed that they support the union's fight for workers' rights, but not manipulations and misinterpretations that deceive the very people the union is supposed to represent.
"Therefore, the Government of Montenegro, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of National Defense call for dialogue to return to institutional frameworks, instead of placing unfounded and false information in the public space. As always, we remain open to constructive dialogue - within the framework of the law, and by no means outside it," the statement concludes.
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