Social-Economic Council fails to approve Draft law on employees in public services

The Social-Economic Council failed to give approval of the Draft law on employees in public services on November 16, and, according to the announcements of the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Branko Ruzic, the draft will be forwarded to the Government of Serbia and then to the National Assembly in December.

– Unfortunately, we have failed to reach a consensus so that the Social-Economic Council would support the law. Most of the trade unions which took part in the discussion had a positive opinion. However, there were some trade unions, such as the cultural and part of the educational ones, that didn't accept the law. For this reason, positive opinions were not given – the president of the Council and the president of the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia, Ljubisav Orbovic, said at the press conference at the Government of Serbia.

He announced that, regarding the salary raises in a certain part of the public sector, the Social-Economic Council would file a request for a meeting for the purpose of resolving the issue to the Government of Serbia and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

– You can see that there are protests these days when it comes to the postal sector. There's dissatisfaction regarding RTS, pension and disability insurance, health insurance... These are all companies belonging to the public sector, which had salaries cut by 10%, but which are not having salaries raised now that it is being done, instead having salaries on the same level or lower than they previously were – he said.

The president of the Independence Trade Union, Zoran Stojiljkovic, said that several suggestion regarding the draft law on employees in public services had been adopted, but that numerous trade unions were still reserved.

– The sector of culture does not see itself in the solutions in the new law, and the sector of education cannot accept it either for numerous reasons, the main one being that the imbalance in salaries has been kept – he said.

According to him, the law targets around 300,000 people.

– The difference between those who had their salaries cut by 10% in 2014 and those who had their salaries increased is about RSD 150,000 – Stojiljkovic said.

Ruzic said that the Social-Economic Council had given a positive opinion of the draft law on amendments to the wage system in the public sector, and that the positions on the draft law on employees in public services had not been brought closer in a definitive way.

He said that the law pertained to over 300,000 permanent employees in the sectors of education, healthcare, culture and science.

Ruzic added that the intention of the Government of Serbia and his ministry was for “a more equal position” to be introduced.

As he said, the fact that the Council didn't approve the draft law doesn't mean that the reform of the wage system in Serbia will not continue.

Socijalno-ekonomski savet Republike Srbije Beograd

Vlada Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo državne uprave i lokalne samouprave Republike Srbije

Savez samostalnih sindikata Srbije

Narodna skupština Republike Srbije

Independence Trade Union

salaries in the public sector

public sector

public services

public service

draft law on employees in public services

Branko Ruzic

Ljubisav Orbovic

Ana Brnabic

Zoran Stojiljkovic

draft law on amendments to the wage system in the public sector

reform of wage system in Serbia

salaries in Serbia

salary raises

salary reduction