UP Trade Union: The proposed regulation on increasing coefficients for all employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be in the budget proposal for 2026.

The proposed regulation on increasing coefficients for all employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) will be an integral part of the budget proposal for 2026, the Police Administration Union announced.

They said that this was agreed upon at yesterday's meeting of the union's delegation with the relevant minister, Danilo Šaranović, and his associates, at the premises of the Ministry of the Interior.

"As the only representative police union, the meeting was initiated to highlight the results achieved so far and the needs that, in the work of the union and the ministry, must be a priority for employees. For the UP Union, the most important topic was the financial position and working conditions of police officers and employees in the Ministry of Internal Affairs," the statement reads.

They said that Šaranović said that he understood all the problems that police officers face and that "new systemic solutions must be sought in relation to the overall social situation in the country."

"As our first request for support and the need to improve the material position of employees, a model of action towards the Government and the Ministry of Finance has been agreed upon by sending a proposal for a decree on increasing coefficients to all employees of the Ministry of Interior, which will be an integral part of the budget proposal for 2026," the union added.

They say that Šaranović expressed "full readiness for the above" and confirmed that the police have his full support.

"Aware that significant progress has been made in the past period of its work, the Union representatives highlighted some of the problems that should be resolved as soon as possible. Pointing to the issue of the lack of personnel, the joint conclusion is that this issue is being resolved as a priority, and that there are already good preconditions for hiring new police officers and strengthening the police institution, so this issue needs to be resolved systematically and urgently," the statement said.

The UP union also states that Šaranović informed them about the activities carried out so far to procure vehicles and equipment, and pointed out "the fact that conditions have been created for accelerating the procedures for purchasing uniforms and amending certain legal solutions."

"When it comes to respecting the collective agreement, the minister has given his consent to regulate certain issues, and the priority is to pay 300.000 to representative unions, so that the ministry can fully contribute to the results that the UP and MUP unions provide towards solving the housing needs of employees," the union said.

In addition to the above topics and some, as they said, constructive proposals they made regarding the position of civil servants and the service as a whole, the minister proposed additional meetings at which these issues would be systematically addressed.

"The joint conclusion is that the police organization must be strengthened and the unity and trust of citizens in it must be preserved. The Police Administration Union emphasizes that priority issues of importance to employees are not resolved through strikes and blockades, but that there are other solutions and modalities for that. Our priorities are employees and their legal rights, which we will continue to insist on, and it is the police that must take care of the safety of all citizens and maintain peace and order in Montenegro. Together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we continue to improve the professional integrity of officers and their financial position," the statement reads.