Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) – According to the Training, Information and Trade Union Research Centre (CEISI), the trade union consumer basket for the first quarter of this year amounts to €1,900.
“Compared to the fourth quarter of last year, the trade union consumer basket increased by €50, or approximately three percent,” stated a press release issued by the Union of Free Trade Unions (USSCG).
Out of a total of ten expense categories defined by the methodology for the calculation of the trade union consumer basket, the first quarter saw increases within four categories: food expenses by 4.31 percent, household maintenance expenses by five percent, housing and utilities expenses by 6.82 percent, and expenses for personal hygiene and health care products by 3.85 percent.
“It was concluded from new prices from the three largest retail chains in Montenegro for 135 foodstuffs included in the food expenses category, i.e. 130 foodstuffs in this quarter due to the seasonal nature of some of them, that food expenses amounted to €605 in the first quarter of this year,” stated the press release.
This amount is required for a four-member family to meet their food and beverage needs on a monthly basis, or to ensure an adequate intake of calories for all four household members who engage in moderate physical activity on a daily basis.
Compared to the previous quarter, this amount has increased by €25.
The methodology for the calculation of the trade union consumer basket was based on comparative experiences and analyses of unions in the neighbouring countries, whose needs and lifestyles closely resembled the purchasing habits of consumers in Montenegro.
The trade union consumer basket covers the cost of living for a four-member household – two adults and two school-aged children, namely a ten-year-old attending primary school and a fifteen-year-old attending secondary school.
The trade union consumer basket is published quarterly on the CEISI website www.ceisi.me.