The situation is worse only in Kosovo and Albania, the same in Bosnia, while Turkey, Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia have a higher minimum than us.
The unions in Serbia expected that the minimum in 2022 would be at least in the amount of the minimum consumer basket. Employers stuck to another story: that an excessive increase in the minimum wage would be an additional cost for those for whom the salary itself is the biggest burden. However, it is quite clear to all of them that the minimum of about 35,000 dinars is not enough to enable a normal life in Serbia, especially if it is known that this year it is the only salary for more than 350,000 citizens.
It is now worth an average of 35,414.72 dinars net (in the gross amount of 47,767.08), which is less than 300 euros.
Exactly that much is paid every month to the account of many Serbian workers, unlike, say, Germany, which announces a new minimum wage in the second half of 2022. Citizens of that country will receive a minimum of 12 euros per working hour, which will, compared to the current minimum wage, make an increase of 22 percent. In our country, that increase amounts to 9.4 percent, compared to 2021, and the working hour is 201.22 dinars.
The citizens of Kosovo have the lowest minimum – for employees under 35 it is 130 euros, and for those over 35 170. At the bottom of the list are Albania with a minimum of 248 euros, Bosnia and Herzegovina with 300, and Turkey has a higher minimum than us. – 328 euros, Bulgaria – 332 and Northern Macedonia – 359. It is also interesting to note that Montenegrin MPs recently adopted a set of laws that allow increasing the minimum wage from 250 to 450 euros, which is a huge step forward for our neighbors.
According to “Eurostat”, in the middle of the list of minimum wages are countries such as Latvia – 500 euros, Romania – 515, Hungary – 542, Poland – 655, Estonia – 654, Lithuania – 730. The former republic of SFRY Croatia today has a minimum of 624 euros. while Slovenia and Spain have just over 1,000. France has a higher minimum wage of 1,500 euros, 1,600, Germany 1,620, and Belgium 1,660. At the top of the list, without competition, is Luxembourg, where the minimum wage is 2,360 euros, which is almost eight Serbian minimum wages.
Dusko Vukovic, vice president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, believes that the state obviously does not care what people live on, reminding that the unions tried to agree on the minimum to be at the level of the minimum consumer basket, but that the state did not have too much hearing. They believe that it should be corrected twice a year.
– It is irresponsible to claim that our country is at the top of Europe in terms of economic growth, and that in something that measures the level of a decent life, it is below any standard. This is shown by our position on the list of foreign minimum wages – Vukovic emphasizes. He cites statistical data that show that at the moment, half of the employees in Serbia receive up to 53,327 dinars, which is more than a million citizens.
– If we exclude from that number those 350,000 who are on the minimum, then between that legally guaranteed minimum amount and those 53,327 dinars, another 800,000 citizens in Serbia receive so much money per month. The average consumer basket is around 80,890 dinars, and the average salary is around 70,920 dinars. All this points to the fact that we have a million or so workers in the country who cannot “get” even to the average consumer basket. That means that citizens must save on health, better nutrition, life, to refrain from everything, in order to survive… Isn’t that enough proof that the state doesn’t care what people will live on – Vukovic asks, Politika reports.
