The Pensioners’ Movement of Montenegro organized a protest in Bijelo Polje, where participants demanded equal rights for former workers from the northern region, accusing the government of discrimination and selective application of laws.
Retired professor Miladin Šebek said that while workers from central and southern Montenegro had already received compensation after bankruptcy settlements, many from the north were still waiting for their rights to be recognized.
Movement secretary Sadik Klimenta criticized the government for freezing the lowest pensions while increasing others, calling for equality and respect for the Constitution and laws.
Movement president Svetozar Čabarkapa urged the government to instruct the Ministry of Economic Development to prepare a draft law providing financial support to all former workers affected by bankruptcies across all sectors in Montenegro. He also demanded that pensioners’ representatives be included in drafting the law.
Čabarkapa warned that if the government fails to act, larger protests will be organized in front of the Government building, possibly leading to further escalation. After the protest, participants briefly blocked traffic in central Bijelo Polje.
The protest follows a previous gathering on September 15 in front of the Constitutional Court in Podgorica, where former northern workers demanded a ruling on their three-year-old initiative challenging the constitutionality of a law that grants financial support only to those employed in the mining and metal sectors, which they claim is discriminatory. The Constitutional Court has promised to issue a decision “soon.”
