REACTION TO FALSEHOOD STATEMENTS REFERRING TO PARTICIPATION OF EPCG IN THE EMPLOYMENT AGENCY¢S VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMME

According to the concerned statement, EPCG management, in cooperation with the director of the Employment Agency of Montenegro, has an intention to, quote „continue the malpractice of DPS“ through political connections.

We find these statements to be groundless, false and above all politically motivated. Surely, it would be convenient if a responsible operations of EPCG – confirmed by the best results in the history of this company – would not be used for certain cheap, narrow political interests.   

As a matter of fact, ever since initiation of the employment programmes, EPCG has been using this opportunity provided by the state. On the basis of vocational training programmes for employment engagement and traineeship, the Employment Agency of Montenegro makes payments of envisaged funds, in line with contractual time schedule, to our company as a provider of the concerned programmes, based on concluded contracts and submitted progress reports. Therefore, this is not about any suspicious extortion of funds, but it`s a new chapter of a programme which exists for years, whose content has not been problematized until someone realized that it could be the way to get some cheap political points.    

EPCG is a company which has properly trained and high-quality employees – both with university and high school degree – necessary for implementation of the work process. Therefore, we do not see a single valid reason for us to ignore the vocational training programme for persons with high school education, having in mind that we participate in the programme for vocational training of persons with a university degree.   

One of main activities of EPCG is electricity generation. Therefore, employees in generation facilities are crucial for operating level and maintenance. Also, in the course of the following three years we will finalize construction process of several new generation facilities – WF “Gvozd”, FHPP “Slano”, SHPP “Otilovići” and some small power plants in the area of Nikšić municipality. High-quality operation of these new facilities requires properly trained work force that would be able to maintain generation from renewable energy sources.  

Human resources analysis indicated that, in the following three years, about 100 EPCG employees will retire. Managers must behave responsibly regarding this fact. Therefore, as a socially responsible company, we have used this opportunity to train employees for individual work performance, as well as to select the best ones, in case they are proved to be such in practice. Hence, our company¢s vision is producing, rather than ignoring high-quality staff. Thereby, we are very proud of the fact that we invest in practical expertise, whereby we act as socially responsible company, having in mind that the highest level of social responsibility is readiness to educate someone, providing them a chance to earn for a living. If, in the context of economic structure and future needs of Montenegro, it is necessary to consider training of employees, then energy, in addition to tourism, is absolutely inevitable area of activity.   

Insinuations about political employment via this kind of programme are inappropriate. Principally, EPCG, as the most significant Montenegrin company, participates with less than 7% within total number of offered positions. The candidates are subject to triple filter of criteria: firstly, they get confirmation on meeting the requirements by the Employment Agency of Montenegro; secondly, EPCG announces public competition and finally, the selected candidates need to obtain the confirmation on fitting into the target group, i.e. there must be a correlation between the candidate’s vocation and the company’s production requirements. Therefore, it is impossible to find any valid argument against participation of EPCG in the programmes being financed by the state, which are beneficial both for the unemployed and the energy sector, as well as, from the wider perspective, for the overall economy of Montenegro. It is our intention to train the best mechanical and electrical technicians and engage them in the energy generation, instead of witnessing the persons of these educational profiles being employed in the sectors for which they are not qualified, such as tourism or betting shops. Finally, no serious company would miss this kind of opportunity. 

Therefore, problematizing a completely justifiable and responsible issue, such as training the persons via the programme for vocational training of the persons with high school education, is quite incomprehensible. Out of all the mentioned, it is unclear which would be the other motif to deprive 39 persons with high school education of the concerned training if not the one having to do with political manoeuvring? 

If certain political actor is not satisfied with EPCG's position in the programme for vocational training of the Employment Agency of Montenegro, they are free to initiate activities aimed at change of the companies' status in the programmes of the Employment Agency of Montenegro. EPCG has no problem with reference to that, since we are obliged and able to adapt our business operations to the valid regulations, as the most important and successful Montenegrin company. 

We understand that different political actors, primarily driven by their own interests and objectives, act, inter alia, by making insinuations and untrue statements. Certainly, such an attitude is neither decent nor useful for the Montenegrin society but it's not up to us to deal with remediation of adverse behaviour in that sense. However, we hope that those actors, but also the overall public, realize that EPCG is not to last for a limited time, but it's about a serious company which will be devoted to training of the qualified staff for the future of both the company and the energy sector, having in mind the strategic orientation to transform the energy sector and establish Montenegro as an independent country in the energy sense, that ultimately both the citizens and economy of Montenegro will benefit from..