AmCham Montenegro held a meeting with the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare in the Government of Montenegro, Mr. Predrag Bošković. AmCham Montenegro familiarized the Minister and his team with its members’ positions regarding the current Labor Law, General Collective Agreement and the overall labor environment in Montenegro. The aim of this meeting was to inform the Ministry about the possible alternatives to the current labor regulations and give suggestions for improvements of the overall labor climate in Montenegro.

Minister Bošković stated that the Ministry is open for all suggestions and proposed a more intensive future cooperation between the Ministry and AmCham. Mr. Bošković also added that the basic problem of the current Labor Law is not the Article 25 stipulating the duration of the work agreement, but the articles stipulating the layoffs and the use of the right to sick leave.

AmCham’s position document produced by its Labor Relations Committee was also presented at the meeting. „This document is the result of our members’ practical experience and the challenges they face in their everyday work as the consequence of the current labor regulations. The issues stipulated in this document are in fact the key questions in labor relations in Montenegro. Those issues include the procedure for determining work violations, back money claims and notice period“, said the AmCham Executive Director, Mr. Edin Seferović.

He added that the reform of labor regulations is one of the major steps for the improvement of the overall business environment and attracting new foreign investments, as well as keeping the existing ones.