Trade union advocate and dismissed postman Jugoslav Marković has responded to the piece titled “Post Office: It is particularly concerning that the USSCG, under Keković’s leadership, endorses unlawful actions.”

“To begin my response, I want to express my gratitude to my colleagues who, despite facing pressure and a disgraceful threat issued to the media just two hours prior to the protest, bravely stood by me.”

For the sake of complete clarity, which the employer is attempting to obscure, I must inform the public that the accusation claiming I failed to pay the pension beneficiary is inaccurate. This could have been verified by reviewing footage from the cameras located in the pension beneficiary’s home. However, those cameras were non-operational, and I was the one who sought to confirm my location using the GPS device that postmen carry. The postal service declined this request, but during the disciplinary process, it was established at my insistence that I was indeed at the specified location at the time in question. Furthermore, to make amends to the pension beneficiary, I personally repaid the amount due to prevent any loss to the Post Office. It is also worth noting that Mr. Đurašković has deliberately overlooked the fact that the pension beneficiary later attempted to withdraw her complaint, yet she was denied that opportunity. Her son also went to the Post Office with the same request but was told it was too late. They even refused to provide him with my contact details.

The subsequent facts indicate that this situation is purely retaliatory due to my union activities.

On one side, there’s the statement from the director of RCP Budva, made during the Disciplinary Commission’s closing remarks, where she requested that you consider the mitigating circumstances, which you chose to ignore. Alongside that, I have the positive testimonials from three of my direct managers, with whom I’ve collaborated for over ten years, stating that I have never received any complaints about my performance. Some even said I perform my job faster and more efficiently than others. Additionally, there’s a petition for my support signed by workers from across Montenegro, totaling several hundred signatures, along with a protest rally and over 250 emails sent to you by citizens of Budva—none of which you have bothered to respond to. Not to mention, my favorite piece of evidence: a petition signed by 567 residents, including individuals from my district who endorsed it from the very beginning.

On the other hand, my union activities have highlighted how we are witnessing the squandering of our finances and the funds of all Montenegrin citizens through, to put it mildly, irrational expenditures.

Some of the issues we’ve consistently flagged include the acquisition of overpriced software that has not functioned effectively even after two years (if the CEO’s claim that the software has already recouped twice its cost were true, then the CEO should have been a Nobel Prize winner in Economics by now), unnecessary hiring of employees through an agency that costs the Post over 100,000 euros annually, the procurement of unsuitable 50cc mopeds sold at the price of 125cc models, management’s failure to provide uniforms after five years (which expire in two years), and the 2019 tender for a shortfall of 250 jackets for postmen that I personally brought to Mr. Đurašković’s attention. Additionally, there was the first needless loan in the history of the Post of Montenegro for a controversial software, which has been repaid by more than half, the ongoing issues with the roof of the Post Office in Bar (which continues to leak), and the expectation for workers to maintain essential work equipment by washing cars and performing regular engine repairs out-of-pocket, even when under warranty. We’ve also seen a proposal to implement a non-working Saturday, which top management told us would be reconsidered in the Post’s development plan for 2032, despite the fact that all post offices in the EU and region, except one, have such hours. Otherwise, we are the only state-owned enterprise operating on Saturdays, aside from those with 24-hour service.

Given the constraints of my response, I will cease listing issues here, although I’ve barely reached the halfway point.

I should mention that the Post Office has recently encountered several cases similar to mine where it suffered material losses, yet the employees involved were not terminated, and some faced no disciplinary action whatsoever. I leave it to the citizens to judge whether this is indeed vindictiveness stemming from my role in starting a strike during which we were warned the Post Office would collapse if our modest salaries were increased, and to determine whether the executive director is acting with authority or if the director, supervisors, colleagues, the affected pension beneficiary, and the citizens of Budva—the ultimate users who appreciate my work and professionalism—are in the right,” Marković stated.

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