Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) – The Union of Free Trade Unions of Montenegro (USSCG) will continue to insist not only on keeping work-free Sundays in the retail sector, but also in all other sectors whose nature of activity does not require uninterrupted work.

USSCG told Mina-business agency that the right to limited working hours and a weekly day off are constitutional and legal rights of all employees and, as such, must be protected.

Earlier today, the Constitutional Court repealed as unconstitutional Article 35a of the Law on Internal Trade, which regulated work-free Sundays in the retail sector.

USSCG recalled that social partners, namely representative trade unions and the employers’ association, have been engaged in intensive negotiations since 2020 on amendments to the Law on Internal Trade.

They said they were aware that the outcome before the Constitutional Court could be such and that, as a responsible organization, they entered negotiations to find a solution acceptable to all parties, primarily employees and then employers, with particular attention to small enterprises and the current needs of the business sector.

“By investing great effort and even making sacrifices, we found a compromise solution that was unanimously adopted by the Social Council and was to be tested over just one year, guaranteeing retail workers an even higher level of protection of their right to a weekly day off. However, the compromise proposal of the social partners received neither attention nor interest from the Government or members of Parliament,” USSCG stated.