Five years after the grounding of aircraft belonging to former national carrier Montenegro Airlines (MA), former employees continue to face financial hardships, including unpaid salaries and unfulfilled social programs. The company was declared bankrupt in April 2021, leaving many workers without their final seven paychecks and over three years of service benefits.
Former staff members assert that they warned decision-makers about the detrimental impact of shutting down the airline. They believe that the closure was predetermined, driven by personal interests among certain high-ranking officials, particularly during the administration of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić. In a statement signed by Miljan Perović and Srđa Habić, they highlighted a perceived animosity towards the employees that led to the airline’s demise.
Claims of Mismanagement and Discrimination
The former workers criticized the government for falsely claiming there were no legal means to sustain the airline when, at the time, a special law aimed at consolidating MA was in effect. They contend that significant resources existed within the company, including $11.2 million allocated for aircraft maintenance, which was known to officials prior to the decision to shut down operations.
Perović and Habić also pointed out that they had been treated unfairly compared to employees from other state-owned enterprises who received severance packages. They recalled statements made by then-Finance Minister Milojko Spajić, denigrating the employees as “some worthless workers.” This rhetoric, they argue, contributed to the neglect of their rights, as they spent decades working for a company owned by the state.
The former employees claimed that their appeals for a social program were ignored. They met with various government representatives over the past five years, reiterating their situation to officials who changed frequently. Despite presenting proposals for social programs, they received no formal responses from former ministers, including Mladen Bojanić and Ervin Ibrahimović.
Legal Efforts and International Appeals
Frustrated with the lack of progress, they reached out to Western embassies and the EU office in Podgorica, emphasizing that their basic human and labor rights were compromised. Their complaints were met with indifference, with embassies stating they do not intervene in internal state matters. The EU office suggested that the workers would eventually receive compensation through the bankruptcy process.
As the bankruptcy proceedings drag on, the former employees lament the lack of transparency and action from the appointed bankruptcy judge Ivan Kovačević and trustee Milan Radulović. They argue that these officials have failed to liquidate the airline’s valuable assets and instead continue to rent them out, prolonging the financial suffering of former staff members.
In a recent communication, Johan Satler, the new head of the EU delegation, directed them to the ombudsman for recourse concerning their rights. However, Perović and Habić pointed out that they had already contacted the ombudsman years ago without receiving any feedback. They expressed concern over the lengthy judicial processes in Montenegro, which they fear could take decades, asking if it is customary in EU countries for workers to wait so long for their rightful earnings.
The statement concludes with a somber message from former MA employees, wishing that no one else experiences their plight. They reflected on the irony of being discarded during the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020, just before Christmas, by the government led by Krivokapić.
