Deutsche Telekom's response
Crnogorski Telekom and the Telekom Union (Sindikat Telekoma Crne Gore) are at this time on the verge of reaching consensus on a new Collective Agreement. After negotiations that took place throughout last year Crnogorski Telekom will confirm its status as the best employer in Montenegro by signing a new Collective Agreement.
The new Collective Agreement means that salaries at Crnogorski Telekom, which are already well above the national average, will now be even higher and all benefits that employees already use will be further improved. In addition, the Collective Agreement will be valid for 5 years, which further guarantees stability not only in terms of salaries and benefits, but also in terms of job security within the company.
During the strike of a part of the employees, representatives of the Strike Committee and the Telekom Union used methods they considered legitimate and on that occasion certain allegations were made against the company and management regarding alleged violations of the laws. These allegations were dismissed in various inspection and court processes that determined Crnogorski Telekom operated in accordance with applicable laws in the country.
Since the beginning of the strike and in accordance with all relevant laws of Montenegro, Crnogorski Telekom has provided all the conditions for strike participants to exercise their right to strike, as prescribed by the Laws. Crnogorski Telekom can support that claim with the official reports of the Directorate for Inspection Affairs and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Montenegro, as the only relevant instance that can decide and provide opinions on this matter. It is important to emphasize that, parallel to these processes, the Judicial Council of the Basic Court in Podgorica twice rejected the request of the Union to impose a temporary measure that would prohibit employees hired through partner companies from allowing their employees to continue performing tasks they did in our company before the strike.
We would like to emphasize that now the collective bargaining process is near its end and we expect the Collective Agreement to be signed very soon. Crnogorski Telekom will continue to work to provide its customers with access to the best services and digital solutions in the country. To achieve success in this they have offered their employees a Collective Agreement in Montenegro with terms that are significantly better than the national average and comparable to certain operators in the region.