The trade union organization of the State Audit Institution (DRI) appealed to the legislative bodies to accept changes that will enable the harmonization of the coefficients of state auditors at least in the amount of the coefficients for judges, in order to ensure that audit supervision remains efficient, impartial and in the service of the public interest.
President of the Trade Union Organization Siniša Čađenović warned that an analysis of the existing legislation shows that the existing Law on Salaries recognizes the coefficients for the president and members of the Senate of the State Audit Institution at the level of 25,07 and 22,48, respectively, while it "does not adequately articulate" the coefficients for state auditors (12,53, XNUMX) which, as he pointed out, are crucial for maintaining financial discipline and the integrity of the public sector.
He referred to the recently published list of salaries in the public sector of Montenegro.
"While members of the Senate earn salaries ranging from 2.386,18 to 3.045,68 euros, state auditors with twenty years of experience receive around 1.260 euros. This glaring gap not only illustrates the irregularities in the salary system, but also highlights the need for an urgent revision of salary coefficients that will fairly reflect the real complexity and importance of the work performed", said Čađenović.
The coefficients must change
The President of the Trade Union Organization DRI reminded that the Government has marked the adoption of a new, systemic law on salaries of employees in the public sector as one of its priorities in 2024.
"A working group was formed to draft the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Salaries of Employees in the Public Sector. In this regard, it is necessary to point out the key problem in the existing legal framework, which concerns the inadequate valorization of the importance and marginalization of state auditors in terms of earnings coefficients", announced Čađenović.
According to him, the current Law harmonized the salaries of the judges of the Court of Minors with the salaries of the judges of the Basic Court at the level of the coefficient of 15,56.
"This sets a precedent for the equalization of wages and working conditions, which should also be applied to state auditors. This legal precedent points to the necessity of urgently harmonizing the coefficients of state auditors in order to avoid uneven treatment and ensure uniform application of the law..." said Čađenović.
He stated that the normative inconsistency at the level of SAI results "not only in pronounced and unfounded disparity in earnings within the same institution, but also creates a systemic obstacle to preserving financial discipline and the independence of state auditors."
"This can have an impact on their ability to protect public interests and control the spending of budget funds. Employees unsuccessfully tried on several occasions to draw the attention of the SAI management to the importance of this topic for both state auditors and other employees by signing an initiative that was supported by more than 86 state auditors (Act No. 06-110/23-1386 dated 16.05.2023 .XNUMX), said Čađenović.
Precisely because of this, he emphasizes, it is imperative that the legal provisions regulating salary coefficients are harmonized in a way that adequately reflects the complexity and responsibility of the work performed by state auditors.
"The effect of this harmonization will directly contribute to the strengthening of financial stability and transparency in Montenegro, which is crucial not only for internal political and economic stability, but also for the international credibility of our country. In this way, this harmonization is not only a question of equality before the law, but also a duty to taxpayers who expect the public sector to be guided by the principles of fairness, meritocracy and equality, which is impossible if the impartiality and objectivity of those on the front line are not guaranteed. defense of the legal and transparent spending of budget funds", claims Čađenović.
Terrain, control, evidence, analysis...
He also says that, although the members of the Senate are nominally in higher positions within the SAI hierarchy, the scope and complexity of the work performed by state auditors is far greater.
"State auditors are the ones who go to the field, control documentation, collect evidence, analyze in detail, evaluate and compile reports on financial operations and business activities within the public sector, which is the basis for comprehensive audits. In contrast, the role of the members of the Senate, although it should be based exclusively on the provision of control mechanisms, is reduced to giving opinions on audit reports, which is contrary to audit practice, because the appointed did not participate in field work and they are not state auditors, but according to the Law on SAI named persons", claimed Čađenović.
According to him, an unfair salary structure not only demotivates auditors, but also undermines the efficiency and integrity of public auditing practice. "State auditors are the ones who thoroughly analyze and evaluate financial operations within the public sector, providing the necessary information that enables transparent and legal spending of public funds. Their role is crucial in preserving financial discipline and protecting the interests of taxpayers. This structural mismatch in earnings not only sends the wrong message about the valuation of professional contribution, but can have long-term negative consequences for the effectiveness of audit oversight. Such an approach is not in accordance with the principles of fairness, meritocracy and equality that should regulate the public sector", concluded Čađenović.
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