The goal of the warning strike, which will take place on September 1, is to fight against wage cuts and for a sectoral collective agreement, but also for social dialogue with the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MESI).
This was told to "Vijesti" yesterday by the president of the Education Union. Radomir Božović, explaining that by staging a warning strike, educators want to draw attention to how the Ministry of Education and Science treats them, not to harm the education system.
He once again called on the relevant government departments to sit down at the same table and continue the conversation, given that the Ministry of Interior has been ignoring their pleas and demands for two months.
Speaking about organizing the warning strike, Božović said that it would last no more than an hour because the minimum work process must be respected, and that he would consider whether it would be between two shifts, after classes. He also pointed out that for a decade they have not been able to define the minimum work process, because the competent ministry refuses to do so.
The average May salary in education was 953 euros, the Education Union announced earlier, pointing out that this is lower than the national average (1.014), while an additional reduction is unacceptable.
The main board of the Education Union, at a session held three days ago, decided to call a warning strike due to a unilateral reduction in the salaries of teachers in primary schools, which could also be applied to their colleagues in secondary schools and kindergartens.
The trade unionists decided to take this step because, as they claim, several thousand education workers received lower July salaries due to the new calculation, and the greatest reduction will be felt by those with over 20 years of experience and those with scientific or teaching titles. The trade union previously explained that, according to data from the Statistical Office - Monstat, the average salary in education for May was 953 euros, which is below the national average (1.014 euros), and that the announced additional salary reduction is completely unacceptable.
Since July, salaries for some educational workers have been calculated through centralized salary calculation, software that is already used by 159 spending units of the state budget.
According to the Education Union, this system does not take into account all salary supplements stipulated by the Sectoral Collective Agreement (GKU), which led to many education workers receiving lower July salaries compared to previous months, by an average of 10 to 50 euros, and in some cases even more.
The union claims that the implementation of the software was not previously agreed with the GKU, and that this method of calculation violates that collective agreement, and at a protest organized in front of the Ministry of Education and Science in early July, they demanded urgent dialogue with the authorities. They warned that, if no agreement is reached, the start of the school year could be marked by protests and strikes.
The Ministry of Finance, however, previously specified that the goal of the new system is not to reduce salaries, but to introduce order and legality into salary calculations through the principle of equality and transparency. They previously assessed that previous differences in payments were the result of erroneous and uneven practices.
The Institution of the Protector of Property and Legal Interests (ZIPI), at the initiative of the Ministry of Finance, requested an assessment of the constitutionality and legality of several articles of the Sectoral Collective Agreement (GKU) for the field of education. ZIPI claims that Articles 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 24 and 31 of the GKU are contrary to the Law on Salaries in the Public Sector, because they introduce institutes such as "starting salary", "additional coefficients" and "salary increase" that are not recognized by the law.
Education Union: Disappointment with the attitude of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, the Ministry of Finance, as well as the Government itself
The Education Union officially announced today on its Facebook page that at an extraordinary session of the Main Board, held on August 15, members of the Main Board of the union expressed disappointment with the attitude of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, the Ministry of Finance, as well as the Government itself, towards educational workers and the Education Union.
"The members of the Main Board of the Education Union of Montenegro do not understand why the Government withdrew from the social dialogue without explanation, and unilaterally decided to reduce the salaries of a large number of teachers, as well as other moves that harm employees and the Education Union itself, when there was no need for it. It is not clear why the numerous calls, proposals and initiatives of the Education Union, addressed to Minister Anđela Jakšić Stojanović, Minister Novica Vuković and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, to reach a solution acceptable to all through discussion and compromise, have remained without reaction and response," reads a statement posted on Facebook, signed by Oliver Jakovljević, president of the Main Board of the Education Union.
It is stated that the Main Board, by an absolute majority of the members present, reached the following conclusions:
1. Organize a "Roundtable - Public Discussion" by the end of August, to which representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, the Ministry of Finance, representatives of the Assets of Directors, and reputable lawyers will be invited, and which will discuss the Sectoral Collective Agreement for the field of education and the method of calculating salaries in education;
2. The Main Board has decided to organize a Warning Strike - Public Hour, which will be held on September 01.09, 2025. The Warning Strike - Public Hour will draw the attention of the entire public to the necessity of social dialogue and the need to achieve a solution acceptable to all;
3. Hold sessions of municipal boards as soon as possible, and then meetings of trade union organizations, at which employees would be informed about the situation in education and preparations for a warning strike - a public hour - would be made;
4. Discuss with the legal department and lawyers all options for initiating collective and individual lawsuits for violating the Sectoral Collective Agreement, which resulted in a reduction in the salaries of a large number of primary education teachers.
5. In the coming period, if the warning strike-public hour does not yield appropriate results, the Main Board will consider all legitimate trade union means that will protect the interests of educational workers.
"Regardless of the complexity of the moment and the enormous dissatisfaction among educators, due to the non-compliance with the GKU and its unilateral interpretation by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and the Ministry of Finance, the Main Board believes that only through dialogue between the Government and the Education Union can the current situation be resolved. Therefore, we call on the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Anđela Jakšić Stojanović, and the Minister of Finance, Novica Vuković, to reach an acceptable solution for everyone through dialogue. The Main Board firmly believes that this is the only way out of the crisis," the Education Union statement, published on Facebook, states.
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