Vučić pledges payment of 16 overdue wages to Apoteka Beograd staff

Aleksandar Vučić Apoteka Beograd unpaid wages concession union Opstanak

President Aleksandar Vučić met with representatives of the Apoteka Beograd workers' union "Opstanak" on 28 July 2026. During the talks Vučić promised that the 16 months of unpaid salaries, estimated at around 900 million Serbian dinars, will be paid in full by 15 September. He also pledged that health‑insurance cards will be verified that same day and that operating funds will be made available by mid‑August.

The union president Jelena Šikuljak said the agreement also includes a six‑month trial period for the pharmacy's future. If the institution continues to run at a loss, it may be offered for concession; otherwise it will remain a state‑run facility. Ministers of health Zlatibor Lončar, finance Siniša Mali, the mayor of Belgrade Aleksandar Šapić and other officials attended the meeting.

Entities: Aleksandar Vučić · Andrej Plenković · Apoteka Beograd · Danijela Nestorović · Gordan Jandroković · Ivica Dačić · Jelena Šikuljak · National Assembly of Serbia · Serbian National Assembly · Siniša Mali · Zlatibor Lončar · Đura Macut

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Opposition lawmaker Danijela Nestorović said the confidence‑vote session signals the start of President Aleksandar Vučić’s pre‑election campaign. (Danijela Nestorović)
[○ 1 SOURCE] 62 opposition MPs signed a request for a confidence‑vote debate, but only 48 attended the session. (Opposition MPs (reported))
[○ 1 SOURCE] The device was imported legally in 2021 and has never been used in Serbia. (Minister Ivica Dačić)
[○ 1 SOURCE] SRCE MP Slobodan Petrović compared Prime Minister Đura Macut’s role to a decorative ficus, criticizing the session’s relevance. (Slobodan Petrović)
[● 2 SOURCES] Ivica Dačić played a recording of a US‑made acoustic long‑range device, described as a “sound cannon”, during the parliamentary confidence‑vote session. (Minister Ivica Dačić)
[● 2 SOURCES] The meeting was attended by ministers Zlatibor Lončar (health) and Siniša Mali (finance), the mayor of Belgrade Aleksandar Šapić, and other officials. (Meeting reports)
[● 2 SOURCES] Health insurance cards for Apoteka Beograd workers will be verified on the day of the meeting. (Vučić's announcement)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Jelena Šikuljak is the president of the union 'Opstanak' representing Apoteka Beograd workers. (Union statements)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The total amount of unpaid wages owed to Apoteka Beograd staff is about 900 million Serbian dinars. (Union leader Jelena Šikuljak)
[● 2 SOURCES] Operating funds for Apoteka Beograd will be provided by mid‑August 2026. (Vučić's announcement)
[● 3 SOURCES] President Aleksandar Vučić promised to pay 16 months of overdue salaries to Apoteka Beograd employees by 15 September 2026. (Vučić's statements at the meeting)
[● 2 SOURCES] If Apoteka Beograd continues to operate at a loss, it may be offered for concession; otherwise it will remain a public institution. (Statements by union leader Jelena Šikuljak)