The base salary of employees at Serbia Zijin Copper is about 16 percent higher this year
The average net salary of over 6,000 workers will be worth about 144 thousand dinars
In the Government of Serbia, in the presence of Ministers Nikola Selaković and Dubravka Djedović Handanović, representatives of Serbia Zijin Copper and the company’s trade unions signed an Annex to the Collective Agreement. – Qu Guozhu: After the agreed new labor price, according to which the salary for January 2024 will be calculated and paid to the workers, the base salary will be about 16 percent higher, and the average net salary will be approximately 144,000 dinars. Payments to the budget of the Republic of Serbia will be increased by the same percentage, therefore Serbia Zijin Copper will pay 6.4 billion dinars this year based on taxes and salary contributions, the company’s General Manager said. – The strength of energy and mining companies is not only in machines, excavators, trucks, but their mainstay is, first of all, employees whose knowledge, experience and energy are the real driving force, said the Minister of Mining and Energy
BELGRADE. – In the presence of the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, Nikola Selaković, and the Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Djedović Handanović, the trade unions operating at Serbia Zijin Copper signed the Annex to the Collective Agreement with the employer. The document signed by the General Manager of Serbia Zijin Copper Qu Gouzhu with the presidents of six representative unions on behalf of the employer is the result of two months of negotiations on the new labor price.
–The salaries of more than 6,000 employees at Serbia Zijin Copper, even before the agreed increase, far exceeded the local level of income per capita and were about 45 percent higher than the average in Serbia. After the agreed new labor price, according to which the salary for January 2024 will be calculated and paid to the workers, the base salary will be about 16 percent higher, so the average net salary will be approximately 144,000 dinars. Payments to the budget of the Republic of Serbia based on taxes and salary contributions will be increased by the same percentage, therefore Serbia Zijin Copper will pay 6.4 billion dinars to the budget of Serbia this year, on that basis alone – stated the General Manager of Serbia Zijin Copper, Qu Guozhou.
In addition to the base salary, Serbia Zijin Copper pays its employees a hot meal allowance in the amount of 17 percent of the average salary in Serbia, as well as vacation allowance in the amount of 121,200 dinars per year. As pointed out by Qu Guozhu, employees are regularly paid other benefits, such as severance pay upon retirement, various awards and solidarity assistance. He also added, monthly and annual bonuses, awards for regularity at work, contribution to safety and environmental protection, etc., have been introduced and paid. Many rights of employees at Serbia Zijin Copper, as emphasized by the General Manager, are regulated much more favorably than what is provided by the Labor Law.
–Serbia Zijin Copper has great ambitions when it comes to increasing production, particularly after the smelter reconstruction, but it is equally important that all this is accompanied by salaries, an adequate reward system and safety at work. The strength of energy and mining companies is not only in machines, excavators, trucks, but their mainstay is, first of all, employees whose knowledge, experience and energy are the real driving force – said the Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedović Handanović.
The Minister added that since the establishment of the strategic partnership with the former RTB Bor, Serbia Zijin Copper has invested about 2.6 billion dollars in five years. She reminded that the company is among the top three exporters in Serbia and it has paid close to 500 million dollars in various taxes and fees.
–Mining can only have a future if it is on a sustainable basis, and that includes taking care of employees, local communities and the environment. I believe that signing this document is an important step in that direction. We have recently supported a large innovative project that Zijin is implementing with another Chinese company, and it is about the construction of 1,500 gigawatts of wind power plants and 500 gigawatts of solar power plants, as well as a factory for the production of green hydrogen in Bor, which will be an investment worth around two billion euros. With this project, in which the state does not participate financially, Serbia will become one of the European centers in the field of renewable energy production, green hydrogen and equipment for projects in the field of renewable energy sources, therefore, harmful gas emissions will also be significantly reduced because Serbia will consume green energy – underlined Djedović Handanović.
The total number of employees in Serbia Zijin Copper is 6,192. After taking over management, more than 2,700 new, mostly young people got a job in Bor and Majdanpek, which is the most significant contribution to the economic development of the two cities. The large number of newly created jobs for the local population played an important role in maintaining social stability.
-Since taking ownership of the former RTB Bor, Serbia Zijin Copper has made a cumulative contribution of 845 million dollars to the social community in Serbia. That is why the company ranks among the company who had the largest amounts of payment based on taxes and fees. In addition, it realized 211 donations and for the improvement of health care, transportation infrastructure, education, sports, traditional art, entertainment for children among others, in Serbia, allocated over six million US dollars – said the General Manager of Serbia Zijin Copper.
