Teachers, police continue strikes

Teachers’ unions and the Serbian government still have not reached an agreement and the negotiations will continue. The government did not reach an agreement with police unions either, so police officers are continuing their strike as well. Teachers, police continue strikes Education Minister Zarko Obradovic has announced that the talks will continue today. Most schools in Serbia are either closed or in some form of strike today because the government and four unions did not reach an agreement after two-hour talks yesterday. The union representatives have, in the meantime, reduced their requests. They now demand RSD 5.5bn instead of RSD 8bn for salary increase, payment of jubilee awards and severance pays. They pointed out that there had been some in progress in the talks with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and the ministers but that they would not stop the strike. “There is no optimism regarding the salary increase simply because we have been reducing our requests and we have practically reached the minimum. We have nowhere to go anymore regardless of the government’s last offer that it is ready to allocate about EUR 2.5bn. Meaning, those 4bn won’t happen. Probably because the prime minister returned from Brussels and did not manage to bring anything in his bag,” Independence Trade Union President Tomislav Zivanovic stressed. The government says that teachers’ demands are unrealistic and that they could jeopardize country’s macroeconomic stability. However, it seems that the education minister has somewhat softened his position. He also expects that some solution will be found. “We will continue the negotiations. We are looking for a solution that will take care of the education system, but also of the entire public sector and all users of the Republic of Serbia budget, a solution that will not jeopardize macroeconomic stability, that will not jeopardize the economy of the Republic of Serbia. I must say that I’m an optimist and that a solution will be found,” he pointed out. The teachers’ unions are also negotiating with the government at the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, but the negotiations are not going well since the government representatives are not authorized to negotiate about money. The talks at the agency should continue on Monday. Candidate for Fiscal Council Vladimir Vuckovic told B92 that the government should be persistent that there was no money because additional allocation of funds, which was not based on this year’s budget, would mean increase in the budget and that it could cause a domino effect, which would be dangerous. Union and government representatives meet (Beta) Police request higher wages Members of the Independent Trade Union of Police have continued their strike. They failed to reach an agreement with Interior Minister Ivica Dacic’s cabinet yesterday regarding the 40 percent increase. The minister is attending U.S. President Barack Obama’s Prayer Breakfast in Washington. He told reporters that he did not expect that the police officers’ strike would affect security during the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) rally on Saturday. Dacic pointed out that he absolutely supported police officers’ requests and that “it is necessary here to determine a way to harmonize positions, bearing in mind that there are several representative unions in police that have different positions.” “Their common position is that police officers’ status needs to be improved and I think that there is no disagreement about that, not even in the highest state organs,” he said and added that they needed to find a way to harmonize the requests with the economic crisis. The interior minister expects that a solution for the strike will be found and that the government will soon discuss the collective agreement which will define the police officers’ status. “I think we have made a historical progress, for the first time police officers will not be treated as other state employees, and we have prepared a draft collective agreement for police officers that the Finance Ministry and the government should give their opinion on. That means that a part of the law on police would be changed in order to speak about salaries in a legal manner, in accordance with the collective agreement. Not much can be achieved with strike as a short-term measure,” he pointed out.

Teachers, police continue strikes

Education Minister Žarko Obradović has announced that the talks will continue today.

Most schools in Serbia are either closed or in some form of strike today because the government and four unions did not reach an agreement after two-hour talks yesterday.

The union representatives have, in the meantime, reduced their requests. They now demand RSD 5.5bn instead of RSD 8bn for salary increase, payment of jubilee awards and severance pays.

They pointed out that there had been some in progress in the talks with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković and the ministers but that they would not stop the strike.

“There is no optimism regarding the salary increase simply because we have been reducing our requests and we have practically reached the minimum. We have nowhere to go anymore regardless of the government’s last offer that it is ready to allocate about EUR 2.5bn. Meaning, those 4bn won’t happen. Probably because the prime minister returned from Brussels and did not manage to bring anything in his bag,” Independence Trade Union President Tomislav Živanović stressed.

The government says that teachers’ demands are unrealistic and that they could jeopardize country’s macroeconomic stability. However, it seems that the education minister has somewhat softened his position. He also expects that some solution will be found.

“We will continue the negotiations. We are looking for a solution that will take care of the education system, but also of the entire public sector and all users of the Republic of Serbia budget, a solution that will not jeopardize macroeconomic stability, that will not jeopardize the economy of the Republic of Serbia. I must say that I’m an optimist and that a solution will be found,” he pointed out.

The teachers’ unions are also negotiating with the government at the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, but the negotiations are not going well since the government representatives are not authorized to negotiate about money. The talks at the agency should continue on Monday.

Candidate for Fiscal Council Vladimir Vučković told B92 that the government should be persistent that there was no money because additional allocation of funds, which was not based on this year’s budget, would mean increase in the budget and that it could cause a domino effect, which would be dangerous.

Police request higher wages

Members of the Independent Trade Union of Police have continued their strike.

They failed to reach an agreement with Interior Minister Ivica Dačić’s cabinet yesterday regarding the 40 percent increase.

The minister is attending U.S. President Barack Obama’s Prayer Breakfast in Washington. He told reporters that he did not expect that the police officers’ strike would affect security during the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) rally on Saturday.

Dačić pointed out that he absolutely supported police officers’ requests and that “it is necessary here to determine a way to harmonize positions, bearing in mind that there are several representative unions in police that have different positions.”

“Their common position is that police officers’ status needs to be improved and I think that there is no disagreement about that, not even in the highest state organs,” he said and added that they needed to find a way to harmonize the requests with the economic crisis.

The interior minister expects that a solution for the strike will be found and that the government will soon discuss the collective agreement which will define the police officers’ status.

“I think we have made a historical progress, for the first time police officers will not be treated as other state employees, and we have prepared a draft collective agreement for police officers that the Finance Ministry and the government should give their opinion on. That means that a part of the law on police would be changed in order to speak about salaries in a legal manner, in accordance with the collective agreement. Not much can be achieved with strike as a short-term measure,” he pointed out.