Minimum Wage in Serbia for 2024 RSD 47,154 – Trade Unions’ Request Rejected

Representatives of the Government of Serbia, the representative trade unions and the employers failed to reach an agreement on the minimum wage for 2024, which would be equalized with the value of the minimal consumer basket, at today’s session of the Social-Economic Council (SEC).

The government is expected to confirm its proposition for the minimum wage to be increased from this year’s RSD 40,000 to RSD 47,154.

According to the Labor Act, when no agreement is reached between the social partners, the percentage of the increase of the minimum wage is set by the Government of Serbia, by September 15 at the latest, and the session of the Government of Serbia is scheduled for September 14.

The vice-president of the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia (SSSS), Goran Milic, said for the Beta news agency following the session of the SEC that the minister of finance of Serbia, Sinisa Mali, had said at the sessions that the parameters based on which the ministry had prepared the analysis of the minimum wage increase were “justified”.

– We believe that our requests are realistic, because the consumer basket in May cost nearly RSD 52,000, and the costs of the minimal basket will grow considerably by January next year – said Milic.

SSSS and the Association of Branch Trade Unions (UGS) Nezavisnost requested at today’s negotiations for the conclusion of the SEC from 2018 to be realized, according to which the value of the minimal consumer basket should have been equalized with the value of the minimum wage, at the end of 2021, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the finance minister, Sinisa Mali, said at the time that this was to be postponed until the end of 2023.

Those trade unions have the same position and they proposed at the negotiations for the minimum wage to increase up to the amount of the minimal consumer basket, which cost RSD 57,754 in May, in “two steps”, from September this year by 10%, and from January by 20%.

The proposition of the Ministry of Finance is for the minimum wage for 2024 to amount to RSD 47,154, which is an increase by 17.8%.

The representatives of the Ministry of Finance also proposed to have the non-taxable salary component increase from RSD 21,000 to RSD 25,000 for the employers in 2024 due to the increase of the minimum wage.

Even before the negotiations began, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic said, like he did the year before, that the minimum wage would be EUR 400.

Seven days ago, Mali said that the minimal consumer basket and the minimum wage were not related at all. The value of the minimal consumer basket, meant for a three-member household, entails around RSD 280 a day for food per person.

Vlada Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo finansija Republike Srbije

Socijalno-ekonomski savet Republike Srbije Beograd

Savez samostalnih sindikata Srbije

UGS Nezavisnost Beograd

Government of Serbia

Ministry of Finance

Social Economic Council

SEC

Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia

SSSS

Association of Branch Trade Unions Nezavisnost

UGS Nezavisnost

Goran Milić

Siniša Mali

Aleksandar Vučić

minimum wage in 2024

minimal consumer basket

minimum wage

Labor Act