Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that the Serbian government adopted today a proposal of a "positive” budget revision, which envisages an increase of salaries in the state sector ranging from 8 to 15 percent as of 1 November.
Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that the Serbian government adopted today a proposal of a "positive” budget revision, which envisages an increase of salaries in the state sector ranging from 8 to 15 percent as of 1 November.
Brnabic explained at a press conference held on this occasion that the largest pay increase will be in the healthcare sector, 15 percent for nurses and technicians and 10 percent for doctors.
We must fight to retain our medical professionals, technicians and doctors, by continuously increasing their salaries, and this will happen before the end of the year, the Prime Minister said.
She underlined that the state is fighting to retain them by investing €1 billion in healthcare infrastructure, clinics, hospitals and other.
A salary increase of 10 percent is planned for the sectors of science and culture.
A salary increase of 9 percent will go to the education staff, judges and prosecutors, as well as employees of the courts and prosecutors' offices, social welfare institutions and members of the security and security forces, the Prime Minister specified.
State administration employees will receive a pay increase of eight percent, while all pensioners will receive a one-off payment of €5,000 as of 1 December, she said and noted that an increase of pensions of five percent as of 1 January, 2020 is planned.
We will strive for this to be something more, in line with our capabilities, without compromising the fiscal and financial security of the country. It will surely be five percent, and if we can and will soon have that information too, she explained.
The Prime Minister announced that the budget revision proposal will be forwarded to the Parliament for decision in the afternoon or evening.
This is the first positive revision in Serbia, which means that we have it not because we have increased expenditures, so now we cover it, but because we have increased revenues, which are higher than expected.
With the budget revision the government wants to distribute these increased revenues and return something to the citizens by raising salaries and supporting retirees, in line with priorities, for a better standard of living and through additional investment in infrastructure, the Prime Minister underlined.
She said that at the end of August we had a surplus of RSD 46.4 billion, which is 60 billion better than expected.
According to her, all that is being done today would not have been possible without the severe fiscal consolidation measures launched in 2014.
At the same time, the Prime Minister stated that foreign direct investments in Serbia reached € 2.32 billion in the first seven months of this year, which is an increase of 43 percent over the same period in 2018.
It is a great pleasure for us to be a world leader in attracting foreign direct investment, she said, pointing out that in 2018 Serbia has attracted more foreign investment than the entire Balkan region combined.
Serbia has also done a lot to improve business conditions, adjust the environment especially for investors in the IT, science and technology fields, all of which together produce results, she concluded.