A few hundred people marched today from Independence Square to the Government building within the protests on the occasion of Labour Day organized by the Union of Free Trade Unions of Montenegro (USSCG).
The protesters carried banners saying “Give us decent work 8 + 8 + 8”, “Workers’ rights are not a business barrier, there is a barrier in you”, “Let’s show responsibility towards future generations”, “Stop Slavery”, “We want fair and honest social dialogue”, “Equal pay for equal work”, etc.
After the protesters stopped in front of the Government building, the protest organisers called in mind that decent work means “being able to support families with earned salaries, not working more than 40 hours per week and having the appropriate minimum number of free days”.
They said that these conditions did not exist in Montenegro and that they would require the government not to take from “workers’ pockets” any more.
USSCG president Srdjan Kekovic said that the right to decent work was a basic human right.
“This year a new labour law is to be enacted and employers are putting pressure on the government to make workers’ rights even more nonsensical. Hereby we warn them not to deny the right to decent work, which includes eight-hour work, eight-hour rest and eight-hour sleep, as well as the right to days off and holidays. Only the trade union can stand behind the workers’ rights, because the governments are lead by capital everywhere,” said Kekovic.
He pointed out that workers in Montenegro were “victims of transition” and that employers did not respect the basic workers’ rights.
“The atmosphere in which the workers are marking Labour Day is not celebratory. We have to understand that if you do not raise voice for your rights, there will be fewer of them every day,” said Kekovic.
Today’s march passed without incidents. The Boulevard of Sveti Petar Cetinjski was briefly closed for traffic.
