PM Marković: Government understands firefighters' demands and position

Podgorica, Montenegro (22 December 2017) -- Amendments to the Law on Salaries of Employees in the Public Sector will meet the request of the Trade Union of Fire-fighters and Rescuers to increase the coefficient of their salaries, and this is going to be done soon, Prime Minister Duško Marković announced earlier today at a meeting with the representatives of the trade union.

The Prime Minister also announced the setting up of a working group composed of representatives of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, and representatives of the Trade Union of Firefighters and Rescuers, with the task of finding a sustainable model for those firefighters who approached the conditions for retirement.

PM Marković repeated the publicly expressed gratitude to all members of the fire services for the exploits that they did during the big fire this summer, "because it was not just a commitment to the profession, but also a commitment to your own country."

"You have shown that Montenegro has serious capacities in the area of protection and rescue, and this was confirmed through the extraordinary courage and dedication that you showed," PM Marković underlined.

It was noted that this important segment of security should be within the State's jurisdiction in the future, ready to tackle all the challenges.

"This is especially important given fact that we have become a NATO member, and that we are obliged to follow their standards. That is why it is necessary to define a different organisational model in your profession, which we will do next year," said the Prime Minister.

Representatives of the Trade Union of Firefighters and Rescuers expressed appreciation to Prime Minister Marković for his support, because he clearly recognised their role and significance.

They said that the position of firefighters cannot be assessed as favourable, and should not be different from municipality to municipality. However, they clearly expressed their belief that after the announced interventions by Prime Minister Duško Marković, the status and position of fire-fighters and rescuers would be significantly improved.

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