Most Private Sector Workers in Serbia Paid Late

A new study by the Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions shows only 15 per cent of private companies in Serbia are paying worker's salaries on time.

About 600,000 workers from the private sector receive their pay a month or two late, or more, while around 50,000 employees in companies are not receiving a salary at all.

This is the first study of this type in Serbia.

Ranka Savic, head the Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions, said the fact that state and other authorities had no accurate data on the earnings of workers was shocking.

Her organization has requested information on the issue from the Tax Administration, the National Employment Service and Ministry of Economy, but they had no data about it.

"There are no official data on the payment of salaries in Serbia. The attitude towards the workers is bad and they are completely sidelined," Savic told BIRN.

She said the state should make a monthly record of employers who do not pay salaries on time.

"Companies that do not pay regular wages should be pilloried. European legislation recognizes the criminal liability of an employer who does not pay salaries. In Germany, the prison sentence for this is three to five years," Savic said.

The main reasons for the irregular payments are poor state of the economy and the burden imposed on businesses by a large number of taxes, according to the Union of Employers.

Nebojsa Atanackovic, from the Union of Employers of Serbia, said it was up to the state to take steps to ensure such things cannot happen.

Officials say they are working on the issue. Since the beginning of this year, labour inspectors have issued more than 1,000 solutions ordering employers to pay wages. They have also submitted...