1.5 C
Herceg Novi
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
spot_img
Supported byspot_img
spot_img
NewsMontenegro's labor disputes: Over 1,200 resolutions in 2023, with ongoing budget challenges

Montenegro’s labor disputes: Over 1,200 resolutions in 2023, with ongoing budget challenges

In 2023, the Agency for the Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes in Montenegro concluded 1,230 agreements between employees and their employers, according to data provided on Thursday.

Agency Director Enesa Rastoder told Pobjeda that over 90% of the cases were resolved last year, and approximately 1,700 proposals were carried over into 2024.

She explained that the agency received 3,520 requests from employees, while over 18,000 requests were carried over from 2023. This is due to the Labor Law provisions that mandate that all financial claims arising from August 23, 2008, will expire four years from the law’s enactment, i.e., by January 7, 2023.

Supported byElevatePR Digital

Rastoder added that the majority of requests were related to transportation cost compensation in the public sector, with mediators halting proceedings for about 12,000 employees due to lack of legal grounds. The agency also rejected around 2,000 proposals due to a lack of employer status or other procedural barriers, such as ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

Other requests involved overtime, night shifts, work during holidays, reimbursement from housing funds, unpaid wages, annual leave, termination of employment, unpaid social security contributions, workplace harassment, and lower pensions due to non-execution of court rulings.

Rastoder explained that according to the Labor Law, an employee who believes their work-related rights have been violated must first submit a proposal for peaceful resolution of the dispute before initiating court proceedings. The employer is obligated to participate in the mediation process, except in cases of employment termination, where mediation is not a prerequisite for court proceedings.

During the mediation process, the deadlines for initiating court proceedings are paused.

Montenegro has long faced issues with millions in budget outflows due to labor disputes, with more than 15 million EUR collected through enforcement measures over nine months last year, as reported by Bojana Ćirović, the Protector of Property-Legal Interests of Montenegro. She pointed out that some of these large sums could be the result of negligent actions and stressed that state authorities should promptly investigate the causes and take measures to prevent such behavior.

Rastoder also highlighted this issue, noting that both public and private employers often recognize the validity of claims from former or current employees but do not have budget provisions to cover them. As a result, they resort to court procedures or use budget reserves to pay claims, which prolongs the process.

In addition to the financial impact, Rastoder emphasized that the advantages of out-of-court dispute resolution include promoting social dialogue between employees and employers, strengthening their partnership, and building trust through a peaceful and confidential process.

Supported byMercosur Montenegro

RELATED ARTICLES

Supported byElevatePR DIgital
Supported by
Supported by
Supported by
error: Content is protected !!