Union Leader: We Will Propose a Minimum Wage of Around €600 for 2026

Zoran Mihajlovic, President of the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia (SSSS), announced that the union will propose setting the 2026 minimum wage at approximately EUR 600 during the upcoming tripartite wage negotiations.

- We haven't finalized the exact calculation yet, but our proposal will be for the minimum wage to be around EUR 600, Mihajlovic told news agency Beta.

The negotiations between social partners—representatives of trade unions, employers, and the Government of Serbia—are scheduled to begin on August 18.

Mihajlovic noted that even with the previously suggested increase to €550—announced by President Aleksandar Vucic and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali two weeks ago—Serbia’s minimum wage would still rank among the lowest in the former Yugoslav region.

The Serbian government recently introduced an extraordinary increase, raising the minimum wage from RSD 53,592 (approx. EUR 457) to RSD 58,630 (approx. EUR 500) as of October 1.

Commenting on this adjustment, Minister Mali stated that the government’s goal is to raise the minimum wage to EUR 650 by January 1, 2028.

According to unofficial sources, the United Branch Trade Union "Independence" has not yet finalized its own minimum wage proposal for 2026.

Official data shows that around 90,000 workers earn the minimum wage, although the actual number of people earning that amount is believed to be significantly higher.

Comparatively, as reported by Nova Ekonomija, Croatia’s minimum gross wage will be EUR 970 starting in 2025, equating to slightly over EUR 750 net.

Slovenia leads the region, with a gross minimum wage of EUR 1,278 as of January 2025—an increase of 1.9% year-over-year—while the net amount ranges between EUR 900 and 930.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federation of BiH), the minimum wage in 2025 is set at BAM 1,000, or about EUR 511. In the Republic of Srpska, the minimum wage is slightly lower, at around EUR 460.

Montenegro closely trails Serbia, with a minimum wage of EUR 450 starting in January 2025.

According to the latest available data, North Macedonia has the lowest minimum wage in the region, at EUR 370.

For several years now, President Vucic has announced the minimum wage before negotiations officially begin, which trade unions have repeatedly criticized as undermining the legitimacy of the bargaining process.

Wage negotiations must conclude by September 15. If no consensus is reached between the government, representative unions, and employer associations, the final amount will be determined unilaterally by the Government.

Savez samostalnih sindikata Srbije Beograd

Vlada Republike Srbije

SSSS

Zoran Mihajlovic

Sinisa Mali

minimum wage

minimum wage increase