Several Podgorica companies asked health authorities last year to investigate the temporary inability of employees to work, and they claim they never received answers about the justification of sick leave.
Data provided by local companies to "Vijesti" shows that the Ministry of Health and the Health Insurance Fund (FZO) have not responded to the "Landfill", "Funeral Services", or "Water Supply and Sewerage" (ViK).
An example of this is the company "Water Supply and Sewerage", which is managed by Aleksandar NišavićThe company has 539 employees, and they told "Vijesti" that an average of 114 of them used sick leave last year.
They emphasize that they regularly report any suspicions regarding the abuse of temporary incapacity to work to the competent health authorities.
"We have contacted the competent institutions and commissions several times, submitting a list of employees who are on sick leave, with a request to verify their justification. To date, we have not received any feedback on whether there are any employees of the company who are abusing temporary incapacity for work, or sick leave. The company remains ready, in accordance with its legal powers and instructions from the competent authorities, to take all necessary measures when such information becomes available," they said.
Almost a fifth are sick in "funeral services"
The Podgorica "Funeral Services" also say that they have not received an answer about the justification from the competent health institutions.
The company told the editorial staff that they currently employ 120 people who perform various jobs - organizing funerals, maintaining city cemeteries, and performing necessary administrative and technical tasks.
They emphasize that during 2025 they faced a "pronounced problem of employee absence due to sick leave."
"On average, about 20 employees per month were on sick leave, which means that almost 20 percent of the total 120 workers were absent from work at any given time. We sent a letter and an urgent request to the Ministry of Health with a request to conduct an additional check on the justification of the sick leave, that is, to review whether the first-instance and second-instance commissions are performing their work completely correctly and in accordance with the regulations. To date, we have not received a response to the letters sent," said "Funeral Services", headed by Radonja Vulikic.
They also propose the formation of an internal commission that, they say, could provide additional information and support to the relevant institutions:
"Especially in the part of records on employees and the duration of their sick leave. Given that we have not received a response from the Ministry of Health to the letters and emergencies sent, we do not have official data on the basis of which we could determine whether and for how many employees sick leave was approved in violation of the regulations."
Podgorica's "Deponija" also encountered silence from the authorities regarding checking sick leave of employees in that company. They said that they have a total of 218 employees, and that 34 workers used their sick leave last year.
"Taking into account the fact that this data refers to sick leave of more than 60 days, pregnancy and maternity leave. The company 'Deponija' has submitted two requests to initiate a procedure to verify the temporary inability to work of employees to the Ministry of Health, but we have not yet received a response from it," said the company, whose director is Aleksandar Božović.
They also requested checks on employees' sick leave at the companies "Parking servis", "Sportski objekti", and "Čistoća".
From the office of the director of “Parking service” Nikola Lazović They told "Vijesti" that the company "has 148 employees as of April 6th of this year."
"During 2025, 181 sick leave was recorded collectively - this number 181 also includes repetitions of the same employees who were on sick leave during 2025, which is why the figure is higher than the total number of employees. This company requested a sick leave check for nine employees. We received a response from the competent institutions for one employee, after the period of incapacity for work expired and there was no further action."
The local company “Sportski objekti”, managed by Miljan Ivanovic, has 114 employees. During 2025, a total of nine employees were on extended sick leave, they told the editorial office.
"While occasionally there were five to six employees on short sick leave. This company requested a sick leave check for one employee, but he retired in the meantime."
Everything is clean in "Čistoća"
"Čistoća", in its responses to "Vijesti", states that in that company, whose director is Dennis Hot, has 644 employees.
They emphasize that from January 1 to December 31 last year, on average, slightly more than 130 employees were on sick leave per month.
"The company continuously takes all measures within our legal powers - from monitoring records to sending initiatives to the competent institutions with a request to verify the validity of the temporary inability to work of the company's employees. However, sick leave is a legally guaranteed right of an employee and the employer cannot deny or dispute it without the opinion and action of the competent authorities. Precisely for the above reason, 'Čistoća' has submitted all allegations of possible abuse to the competent institutions, since only they have the authority to determine whether abuse has actually occurred. Without their confirmation and official documentation, the employer has no legal basis for initiating disciplinary proceedings," Čistoća announced, adding that they have asked the Health Insurance Fund to "examine the inability to work of 82 employees."
The city's "Putevi" said that the company employs 403 people, and that a total of 47 people used sick leave last year.
In "Communal Services", they say, out of 126 employees, 11 took sick leave for longer than 60 days. The company they manage said that they took sick leave for up to 60 days. Predrag Scepanovic, 36 employees benefited.
The Agency for Protected Areas Management (AZUP) had 11 employees on sick leave as of last October. They also said that the city-owned company has 17 employees.
"Since the new director took office (Dalibor Zečević) on duty, there were no recorded cases of sick leave among employees. For three employees, a procedure for checking the justification of sick leave was initiated with the competent Health Insurance Fund. It was not determined for any person that they exercised the right to sick leave outside the applicable regulations.
The Health Insurance Fund has previously stated on several occasions that, in order to prevent the abuse of sick leave, amendments to the law are necessary, as well as education of healthcare workers.
Sick leave in other companies too
There were also employee sick leave in other Podgorica companies.
The Housing Agency told "Vijesti" that out of almost 100 employees, eight to ten were on sick leave. At the local Public Broadcaster Radio-Television "Podgorica", out of 131 employees, 27 were on sick leave.
That number in the city's "Zelenil," whose director is Nemanja Gajović, was 26 last year.
"Our company employs 180 direct employees. Considering the duration of sick leave, as well as the fact that all sick leave was properly documented and that there was no suspicion of its misuse, 'Zelenilo' did not initiate procedures to verify its justification."
According to data provided to Vijesti, Podgorica's "Markets and Markets" employs 150 people. The company headed by Ivan Bojović says that five employees were on extended sick leave last year.
The Agency for Construction and Development of Podgorica, whose director is Bajko Vučićević, said that they have 51 employees.
"In January last year, there were seven employees on sick leave. In February, 13, in March, five, in April, eight, in May, four, in June, five. In July, that number was seven, in August, five, in September, 10, while in October, eight were on sick leave. In November, four employees used sick leave, and in December, that number was nine."
114 of the 539 employees at the city's "Vodovod" were on sick leave last year. The company says they contacted health authorities to verify the justification, but have not received a response.
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