Minister to citizens: Think of your sacrifice as investment

Minister to citizens: Think of your sacrifice as investment

He added he expected these salaries and pensions "to return to their previous trajectory in two to three years," and that the government "has a clear plan instead of just promises, like some previous governments."

"I expect everyone to treat their sacrifice as an investment, which is what it is. The more fiscal receipts you collect, the more we work to pay the bills, for public companies not to waste resources, the better it will be."

According to Vujović "a new salary system" will be in place starting in January, along with a new state budget, "so the reasons for the education sector protests will be removed." However, he failed to provide a concrete answer when asked whether teachers can expect their salaries to, at that time, return to the previous level.

The minister stressed that "a system where public sector salaries are 39 percent higher than in the private sector is not sustainable - that will have to change."

He at the same time admitted that the drafting of the 2015 budget was yet to begin.

Despite the fact the legal deadlines have expired, Vujović said deputies in the national assembly "will have 15 days to debate the budget before it is adopted by the end of the year."

He added that "we all take responsibility" for missing the deadline, and that "we are also ready to explain why," and said the reason was "the government's desire to dig deeper and prepare a budget that will be the most important part of the negotiations with the IMF, expected to start in early November."

Vujović also announced that budgets for 2016 and 2017 "will immediately be worked on as well."

The minister further expects "the evaluation of offers and a solution" for the Železara steel plant to happen by the end of the year, and stressed the government received offers for 375 companies undergoing restructuring.

Asked why his ministry failed to submit data on the number of new employees in the public sector - which prompted Public Information Commissioner Rodoljub Šabić to announce penalties against it - Vujović said it was "impossible to publish information that nobody can stand behind."

He stressed his ministry was publishing the data it had every month on its website, and can only additionally publish "what indirect budget users or public companies send us."

According to Vujović, the Law on the Budget System needs to be changed to define who was under obligation to submit this type of data - "because the system now in place is incomplete" while he could be "held responsible if incomplete data was published."

"The way it is now, whatever I do I'll make a mistake," the minister said, and observed that he thought it was "unconstitutional" that the Commissioner had the right to announce penalties with no right of appeal.