Salary increases for public sector workers

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, stated this evening that the entire public sector will receive a salary increase of eight percent, while teachers and preschool educators will receive a 12 percent raise.

“If inflation is 4.2 percent, this constitutes a real increase in the standard of living, not only for our teachers, but also for preschool educators. We will increase their salaries by 12 percent, which is 50 percent more than for other public sector workers, thus showing our commitment to education,” Vučić said.

He added that the government has already initiated negotiations with some foreign universities to bring them to Serbia, to reduce study costs for local students.

“Why should our people go to study to Italy, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom when we can bring parts of those universities or their departments and build their campuses here in Serbia,” he emphasized.

“The goal of the state is to keep people here”

“We will try to subsidize them, so that their costs are lower than abroad, and their living expenses are already much lower. It will be easier for their parents as well, who won’t have to be separated from their children to provide them with a good education,” Vučić highlighted.

According to him, this will also encourage competition among Serbian private and public universities. “They will have to be much better if they want to attract students. What we need is knowledge, not just diplomas,” the President of Serbia stated.

Vučić also reiterated that the decision has been made to increase the minimum wage by 13.7 percent, to 53,592 dinars, calling it excellent news for the country’s poorest workers.

Pensions are also set to increase

“We will most likely increase pensions by 10.9 or 11 percent, which is a significant increase for our pensioners, and an official government decision will follow soon,” the President announced.

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