Did you know that teachers in Montenegro earn salaries that are 50 euros below the national average? Yes, you read that right! While inflation runs wild and prices skyrocket, teachers and professors struggle to make ends meet. And it gets worse – the government plans to centralize salary calculations, which could diminish teachers’ rights and turn their pay into just another administrative experiment. Aleksandra Despotović from the Democratic Party of Socialists clearly states that teachers are not a cost but the backbone of society, but it seems the current government doesn’t get it. While Croatia and Serbia regularly increase teachers’ salaries, Montenegro lags behind, sending a message that education is not an investment but just a line item in an Excel sheet. The teachers’ union is gearing up for protests as the new salary calculation reform threatens to break the collective agreement and further jeopardize education workers’ rights. The average salary in education is about 700 euros, while the national average is around 750 euros, and the union’s consumer basket for Q2 2025 is a whopping 1200 euros! How are they expected to survive? The government claims centralization is not about cutting salaries but about law compliance, but teachers say it’s just a cover for austerity politics. If the system where teachers lose means everyone loses, what’s next for us? Teachers demand dignity, not privileges. Got thoughts on this? Jump into the conversation – maybe your voice can shake things up!
