The owners of individual companies in Serbia have announced to employees that there is a possibility that they will be able to work from home for a while due to the spread of coronaviruses and the reduction in workload.
Many of them have already announced that they will be paid for the work as if they were on sick leave and would be 65 percent of their salary, Novosti reports.
As Prime Minister Ana Brnabic announced, the rulebook on how to treat companies that have employees in isolation or self-isolation will soon be known, and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce will have a special line with such information for the economy.
In such a situation, it is also necessary for the Ministry of Labor to issue an interpretation of the provision of the law relating to the payment of wages, that is, whether the workers will be treated as being on sick leave or working normally, Novosti writes.
Dragoljub Rajic, an economic analyst, stresses that it all depends on how long the situation will last. In the shorter term, problems will be able to overcome, but in the longer term, there will have to be a decrease in revenue.
“In the first week alone, there was a drop in revenues, as many meetings with foreign trade partners were canceled and the arrival of people from abroad to Serbia was restricted”, the newspaper’s interlocutor says.
“In Serbia, the biggest problem is with self-organization. For example, in Italy, which is in the worst situation, work from home is not considered, while in Britain, Germany and France, and in an emergency situation, maintaining the economy is the first”, he said.
Rajic stresses that the decline in the real sector will be felt very quickly, leading to a reduced need for labor, which will force bosses to force people to work from home or, at worst, to shorten employee lists.
“The current situation should not be taken lightly, as it can make a bigger impact on the economy than on the health of the population”, he explains.
The Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions has sent an initiative to the government, but to determine the wage entitlement of 100 percent of employees who have been temporarily prevented from working because they are covered by measures to prevent the spread and suppression of coronavirus.
On the other hand, the Confederation of Free Trade Unions has asked Prime Minister Ana Brnabic for additional measures to protect employees from the corona virus.
“As most of our members are employed in the state and public sectors and by nature of the job they are directed to contact the population, we are seeking additional protection measures, the provision of appropriate equipment and means of protection, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Safety and Health at Work”, says Ivica Cvetanovic, President of the Confederation.
He stresses that with employers’ representatives, consideration should be given to the possibility of implementing similar measures in the private sector, where there is more intense contact with the population, Novosti reports.
