The Education Trade Union (SPCG) is staging a protest today outside the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation in response to a new salary calculation that threatens to decrease the wages of certain education professionals.

Radomir Božović, President of the Serbian Confederation of Education, indicated that the protest aims to preserve the rights established by the Sectoral Collective Agreement (GKU) for the education sector.

“These rights are at risk of being undermined due to the Government of Montenegro’s intent to cut salaries for a sizable number of education employees via a new salary calculation that contradicts Article 22 of the General Code of Civil Service,” Božović stated.

During the protest, SPCG will urge Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, Minister of Finance Novica Vuković, and Minister of Education, Science and Innovation Anđela Jakšić Stojanović to explore social dialogue and reach a mutually beneficial compromise.

The Ministry of Finance, however, has asserted that the goal of the centralized salary calculation is not to reduce salaries for educational staff but to adhere to the law and promote equal pay for equal work.

The Education Union’s demonstration has garnered support from the Executive Board of the Union of Free Trade Unions, the trade union of the Montenegrin National Theatre, and the Trade Union of Trade Workers.

“Every effort to uphold the Sectoral Collective Agreement (GKU) for education and the rights it confers enhances both the education sector and society at large,” stated the Union of Free Trade Unions (USSCG), encouraging the Government to engage in dialogue.

The USSCG has emphasized its long-standing commitment to advocating for labor and union rights since its inception.

“In the absence of social dialogue, USSCG members have consistently resorted to other legitimate forms of union and civic action to safeguard rights stemming from work,” the statement reads.

The USSCG highlighted that the SPCG exemplifies genuine union activity as the largest branch union in Montenegro and a founding member of the USSCG.

“The prospect of the rights guaranteed by the GKU being compromised again by one of its signatories, specifically the Government of Montenegro, deeply concerns us, fostering legal insecurity not only among education employees but across all sectors,” stated the USSCG.

The organization underscored that collective agreements, reflecting a high level of compromise among contracting parties, obligate their signatories and establish a framework for fair working conditions and equity within the system.

According to the USSCG, any unilateral infringement of the collective agreement’s provisions constitutes an infringement on the rule of law, as well as the rights to collective bargaining and union representation.

“United in our resolve to defend labor rights, union rights, and the fundamental right to collective bargaining, we firmly stand with the SPCG and all education professionals to protect the rights established by the GKU and ensure legal certainty,” stressed the USSCG.

The USSCG expressed hope that the SPCG’s appeals would yield positive results and that the current challenges would eventually be resolved.

The USSCG reiterated its call for the Government to foster dialogue and pursue constructive solutions that honor acquired rights and ensure justice.

“Every step towards preserving the GKU for education and its associated rights is a step forward for strengthening both the education sector and society as a whole,” the statement concluded.

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