The *Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia (CATUS)* welcomes minimum wage increase but insists that salary increases should apply to all workers, since only about 3% of employees earn the minimum. CATUS Secretary Slađan Bobić stressed that raising wages across the board would strengthen purchasing power.
Preliminary results of a union survey on household incomes, jointly done by the two representative trade union confederations, show that:
· 39.3% of households earn over 150,000 RSD per month,
· 36.5% earn between 100,000–150,000 RSD,
· 21.1% between 60,000–100,000 RSD.
Most workers (64.5%) cannot make any savings, while only 9.2% can put aside up to 24,000 RSD. Many cut spending on travel (51.5%), culture (15.4%), product quality (13%), or quantity (11.4%).
Economics professor Ljubomir Savić noted that low wages, poor conditions, and employers’ reluctance to share profits are major problems, stressing the need for social consensus so people can live from their work.
The unions demand stronger *social dialogue* with ministries to address these issues.
