Union of Scientists and Researchers warns of new protest

BELGRADE - The Union of Scientists and Researchers of Serbia warned on Wednesday of a new protest, and requested the regular payment of salaries and operating expenses in line with the laws.

"The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development did not deliver on any point of the agreement that was signed after the mass protest "Save Science" in July last year," the union's president Dr Djurdjica Jovovic told a news conference.

She noted that "only thanks to good cooperation with Finance Minister Lazar Krstic, the union managed to ensure that the level of financing remains the same as it was in 2013".

"Despite promises that the payments will be regular, they are overdue, and the ministry has never explained why the agreements are not complied with," Jovovic said, adding that securing funds for operating expenses in research institutions is even greater problem.

She noted that Serbia has around 13,000 researchers, 4,500 of them working at institutes. They are paid just for projects and often work without the basic equipment and materials.

The union demands from a new government to change the approach to science and researchers and consider the possibility of forming a separate ministry of science, said Dr Dragan Markusev, chairman of the national committee of the Union of Scientists and Researchers.

"Investment in science should be raised to one percent of GDP by the end of 2015," he said, adding that the funds earmarked for that purpose in 2013 did not reach 0.3 percent, if we factor in the budget funds and credit line that was secured for them in 2011.

Markusev fears that the received funds in 2014 will be below 0.2 percent of GDP.

To illustrate working conditions...