Montenegrin citizens are celebrating this year's Labor Day with mixed opinions about the state of workers' rights and the economic situation of employees. While the government says that working conditions and employee protection have significantly improved, the opposition and trade unions warn of rising living costs, problems in social dialogue, and uncertainty due to the expiration of the General Collective Agreement. Economic analyst Predrag Ze\u010devi\u0107 points out that the differences between the public and private sectors remain a key problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citizens of Montenegro are welcoming this year's Labor Day with divided opinions about the state of workers' rights and the economic position of employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahead of International Labour Day, the president of the European Union parliamentary group in the Parliament of Montenegro, MP Boris Mugo\u0161a, warned of serious consequences that could occur with the expiration of the General Collective Agreement, stating that around 100,000 employees could be left without protection of some of their workers' rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"What is particularly problematic is that as of May 1, around 100,000 employees will be left without the protection of some of the important labor rights defined by the collective agreement, because the general collective agreement expires on April 30, and that is something that should further concern us,\" Mugo\u0161a said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore, he calls on the government to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"To talk with social partners, to reach an agreement based on the input of social partners,\" said Mugo\u0161a.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He assessed that the Government is treating social partners \"frivolously and irresponsibly\", recalling that the General Collective Agreement, after it expired at the end of last year, was temporarily extended twice - first until the end of March, and then until April 30th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"Labor rights in Montenegro today are at a higher level than in previous years\"<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Europe Now Movement MP Milo\u0161 Pi\u017eurica assessed that workers' rights in Montenegro are at a higher level today than in previous years, stating that they have been significantly improved in recent times thanks to changes in the labor market and more decisive action by the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Today, we have almost no phenomena that were common before. Illegal work, 'hand-in' payments, and non-payment of contributions have been reduced to a minimum, thanks to systematic controls and stricter supervision. In addition, wages have become more secure and predictable, and employers' attitude towards legal obligations has become more serious than before.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his opinion, there is increasing insistence on formal contracts, proper registration and respect for working hours, which, he believes, provides greater legal security to employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, he believes that the work is not finished and that the focus in the coming period must be on further strengthening employee protection, combating the shadow economy, and policies that will enable wage growth to be accompanied by price stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking about the challenges facing workers ahead of May 1st, Pi\u017eurica pointed out that preserving the real value of wages remains one of the key issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"In previous years, there has been a significant increase in wages, but at the same time, there has been a rise in prices, primarily due to global crises and disruptions in the energy and food markets. That is why the fight against inflation is one of the central issues of economic policy today,\" said Pi\u017eurica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He believes that a lot has been done in this regard in the last year, and a good example is fuel prices, which the Government of Montenegro has managed to keep among the lowest in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another important challenge relates to working on Sundays and holidays, emphasizing that it is necessary to consistently apply the law in sectors such as catering, gas station sales, and construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Workers must be allowed a day off, and increased wages for working in those conditions must be paid regularly. Also, the goal must be for all employees to have a standard work week of no more than 40 hours and to move towards a model that provides two days off per week,\" said Pi\u017eurica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ze\u010devi\u0107: Differences between the public and private sectors remain a key problem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Economic analyst Predrag Ze\u010devi\u0107 says that it can be said that workers in Montenegro, approaching International Labor Day, enter this date with divided feelings - on the one hand, there are certain advances, but on the other, deep structural problems still remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking about the key challenges facing workers in Montenegro, he emphasizes, first of all, the difference between the public and private sectors, the issue of job security, and real purchasing power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his opinion, although wages have increased, inflation and the cost of living have still \"eaten\" part of that growth, so a number of workers do not feel a real improvement in their standard of living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He points out that we still have a pronounced gray economy and uneven application of the law, which, in his opinion, further complicates the position of employees, especially in the private sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"I would especially like to emphasize that the position of workers in state-owned enterprises is at a very high level today. We are talking about stable jobs, regular and on average higher salaries, as well as additional benefits that the private sector often cannot match. This is precisely why working in the public sector is becoming increasingly desirable and is perceived as a safer option,\" said Ze\u010devi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, as he stated, employees of private companies face significantly greater pressures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"From demands for greater productivity, to less job security, to situations where workers' rights are not respected to their full capacity. This creates an imbalance in the labor market and can have negative consequences for the economy in the long term,\" said Ze\u010devi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also believes that workers' rights are at a higher level today than before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Minimum wages have been increased, the state has shown greater focus on living standards and social policy, and these are undeniable advances,\" the analyst points out, but he also warns that rights are not equally accessible to everyone, and that this difference between sectors remains a key challenge that Montenegro must address in the coming period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"If we want sustainable and healthy economic development, we must work to level the playing field, strengthen institutions, and create an environment in which workers, regardless of whether they work in the public or private sector, will have security, dignity, and adequately paid work,\" said Ze\u010devi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How May Day Came About: From Chicago in 1886 to a Global Labor Day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Labor Day is celebrated on May 1, the day when workers in Chicago began striking and protesting for an eight-hour workday in 1886. On May 3, a clash broke out between union workers and strikebreakers. The police intervened in the clashes, and four union members were killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This would be followed by a union meal, roast pigs, lambs, and sometimes even oxen... A spontaneous dance would start around the campfires, and people would stay up late into the night, socializing together. It was enough to spread out blankets and bring some food from home to snack on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As standards rose in the 1970s and 1980s, May Day dawned as a holiday of excess in food and drink. The first cars arrived in everyday life and slowly became status symbols, from the \"fi\u0107a\", to the \"trista\u0107a\", to the \"golf\". It became a custom to take the car out into nature, often and pompously wash it in a pile of soapy water and pour buckets of water over it to make it shine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Afterwards, all the doors would open and the music would be turned up to the max, with barbecues and liters of beer and spritzers. Anyone who could, would play volleyball, badminton or football. At the end, there would be a pile of garbage left, but at that time, little attention was paid to environmental protection. The main information related to Labor Day was how many days there would be no work and what the weather would be like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was common to combine non-working days into a whole week, and it was also \u201cunlucky\u201d when May 1st fell on a weekend. Thus, Labor Day became a kind of holiday of rest and hedonism. Those who had relatives in the countryside or in other cities went to visit them, and those who wanted to traveled abroad, most often to Trieste or Thessaloniki, or for a short vacation to the sea or mountains. The tradition of union May Day outings and trips also developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, most citizens spend May 1st with their families at picnic areas, having a barbecue.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today, in Montenegro and around the world, May Day, International Labor Day, is celebrated as a symbol of the struggle for workers' rights, dignified work, and better living conditions for employees. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":928463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[31800,25110],"naslovna":[],"class_list":["post-964723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drustvo","tag-ekonomski-iyayovi","tag-prvi-maj"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=964723"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":964724,"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964723\/revisions\/964724"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/928463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=964723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=964723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=964723"},{"taxonomy":"naslovna","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gradski.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naslovna?post=964723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}