Communal services staff protest at Serbian government headquarters

NEWS 07.11.201917:20
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Several hundred employees of communal services companies from Belgrade and other parts of Serbia protested on Thursday in front of the government headquarters, demanding a 10 percent pay rise.

The protest was organized by unions which demanded a 13 percent pay rise earlier, saying that communal service staff were exempt from the announced public sector pay rises.  

One of the union leaders told reporters that salaries in the communal services had not been raised in the past 10 years. “Thirty five percent of the 70,000 communal services employees have a basic salary lower than the minimum wage,” union leader Milan Grujic said and recalled that their salaries had been cut in 2014.  

Nezavisnost union leader Milan Simic said that the average salary in the communal services companies is 46,000 Dinars (1 Euro – 118 Dinars), adding that there are some places in Serbia where communal service company staff get paid just 27,000 Dinars.