In her rationale on the Bill, Assistant Minister of Finance Mirjana Cojbasic informed the Committee members that the amendment concerns Article 17 of the Bill amending the Republic of Serbia 2015 Budget Law i.e. adds a new paragraph after paragraph 2 of said article allowing the employees of elementary and high-schools and student standard institutions, based on Governmental decision, a one-off net payment of 6,000 RSD with accompanying tax and contribution for mandatory social insurance.

Assistant Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development Zoran Tubic added that the exact number of employees to receive the one-off payment will be ascertained after the Bill is passed so as not to incur any damages. The Ministry representatives also said that the payment will be made at the end of November/beginning of December of this year.

The ensuing debate, which also included representatives of relevant education trade unions, focused on the complaints to the amount of the payment, taxation as it were income not a one-off assistance, future application of payment grades which are to regulate the income of education employees, and the problems in the local self-governments concerning the payment of jubilee awards.

After the debate, the Committee members decided to propose that the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending, should accept the Bill amending the Republic of Serbia 2015 Budget Law, in principle.

The sitting was chaired by MA Aleksandra Jerkov, Committee Chairperson.