Nezavisnost: Negotiations About Minimum Wage Increase in Serbia to Begin

The Social-Economic Council (SEC) has accepted the joint initiative of two representative trade unions – the United Branch Trade Unions “Independence” (“Nezavisnost”) and the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia (SSSS) for the commencement of activities toward the analyses and negotiations for the determining of a new minimum wage in Serbia. The first meeting between the negotiation teams will take place on May 19, Nezavisnost announced.

The press release says that, at the regular session of the SEC, held on April 24, representatives of Nezavisnost and SSSS initiated the idea of negotiating a new minimum wage due to the considerable changes in the elements based on which the minimum wage for 2023 had been determined.

It is added that, before the negotiations start, the Executive Board of Nezavisnost “will adopt its negotiation position, which will be based on the position that the monthly minimum wage may not be lower than the minimal consumer basket.”

Nezavisnost also pointed out that “the considerable changes in the field of existential and social needs of workers and their families, expressed through the value of the minimal consumer basket, the trend of the employment rate in the labor market, the growth rate of the GDP, the consumer price trends, the productivity and the average salary… are reason enough for the question of a new minimum wage to be placed on the agenda as soon as possible.”

As said, that is also a confirmation of the well-argued position of Nezavisnost that the minimum wage increase by 14.3%, as decided in September 2022 by the Government of Serbia, was insufficient.

Socijalno-ekonomski savet Republike Srbije Beograd

UGS Nezavisnost Beograd

Savez samostalnih sindikata Srbije

Social Economic Council

SEC

United Branch Trade Unions Independence

Nezavisnost

Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia

SSSS

minimum wage

minimum wage increase

tripartite agreement