Through cooperation to improvement of workers rights and management of public utility companies

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Monday, 27 February 2017 15:51

Within the project "Strengthening capacities of Roma for public activism- United we reach more!" supported by the European Union Delegation of the European Union in Montenegro, NGO Young Roma in cooperation with the Union of Free Trade Unions of Montenegro and the Coalition Roma Circle organized thematic meeting "Cooperation for the promotion of the right workers and business utility companies ".

Meeting was organized on 24.02.2017. at premises of the Hotel Queen of Montenegro, Bečići. The meeting was attended by representatives of management of Public utility companies and representatives of Local Secretariat for traffic and utility services from the municipalities of Berane, Bijelo Polje, Tivat, Kotor, Budva, Podgorica. The meeting was also attended by representative of the EU Delegation to Montenegro, Mladenka Tešić, task manager of the project. The meeting was aimed at improving cooperation at the local level with the intention to improve the position of workers and business utilities.


The organizers of the thematic meeting at the very beginning presented the project "Strengthening capacities of Roma for public activism - United we reach more!" and activities carried out during the project. Special emphasis was given to upcoming project activity related to research on the situation of employees in Public utility companies. It was explained that research will include both the employees and employers in order to gain insight into the overall context in which these companies are operating. Organizers emphasized that the research study will provide, among other things, a review of the age of employees, the dominant form of working duties, knowledge of their labor and trade union rights, the level of satisfaction with the exercise of labor rights, knowledge related trade unions and trade union activities.


In the discussion that followed, all present guests, expressed their opinion. Through a very open and constructive dialogue, certain common problems in the work of utility companies were mentioned. Main problems can be summed up in the fact that there is lack of financial resources at the disposal for these companies, that companies in the society do not have importance that it should have, that there is an insufficient number of employees when it comes to field work, social dialogue is under-developed and companies lack of adequate instruments for the work. Attendees of the meeting, expressed their willingness to contribute to the development of research that spawned specific recommendations for improving the development of utility companies in the future.