The Levica party has condemned the delayed payment of salaries to cultural institution employees who were left without pay over the Easter holidays, and criticizes the Ministry of Culture’s new methodology for salary calculation.

According to Levica, cultural institution directors were instructed to have accountants calculate salaries using a new methodology developed by the Ministries of Culture and Finance. The Culture Syndicate argues this new methodology does not align with the General Collective Agreement and the Collective Agreement for Culture.

The party claims that 10% of the General Collective Agreement remains under dispute due to a lack of clear calculation guidelines.

Levica states that while cultural workers protested, the Ministry devised a new salary payment method for the disputed 10% of the General Collective Agreement. Institutions reportedly have not begun preparing salaries due to unclear guidelines that had not been signed by the Minister of Culture, Zoran Ljutkov.

Levica denounces what it sees as continued mistreatment of cultural workers and urges the Minister of Culture to adhere to legal provisions for harmonizing salaries under the existing collective agreements.