One of the most important skills in anyone's career is undoubtedly the literacy of negotiating one's own compensation for work. Unfortunately, many workers are afraid to negotiate for fear of losing their place at the table or simply because they don't understand exactly what they're "selling". The labor market works according to the principles of supply and demand: your knowledge is the "commodity", and the employer is the "institution" that needs exactly that.
Many come to an interview with the idea "I want 1,500 KM net". Actually, the employer doesn't care about your net at all. The employer is concerned with how much "cost" you create for them (Gross 2). The amount that arrives in your account after paying contributions and taxes (Net) is influenced by factors the employer has absolutely no influence over: whether you are married, whether you have registered younger family members, and in which municipality you are registered.
When you realize that an employer would be "costing exactly the same" in a Gross sum for a worker with two children in a municipality without strong local taxes (or surtaxes), yet that worker would receive 200 KM more net in hand, you will understand that negotiation must go along the line of the gross base which is fixed and the same everywhere.
"I would like a raise because I've been working here for a long time, I try hard, and the rent has gone up."
"I achieved a 15% productivity increase in my department, I process X clients per day which is above average, directly earning the company amount Y. Therefore, I believe that proportionally adjusting my salary to a higher gross rank is justified."
Never come unprepared. Before the negotiation, check the official pages of the statistical institute for the selected field of work. Research platforms and forums for evaluating jobs. If the average and median gross salary at your senior and expert level is 2,400 KM, then you have a concrete document to refer to when making a proposal of 2,600 KM for your above-average effort.
The salary negotiation is a mathematical equation of two opposing motivations. Set three boundaries:
Employers sometimes have a tied budget due to company hierarchy. Therefore, when you hit a wall with the basic gross, open "Option B". Gross is not everything. If the company cannot raise the gross by 300 KM because it would cost them 450 KM with all obligations, maybe they can offer you a monthly tax-free allowance for utilities (100 KM) because it costs the company exactly zero KM in contributions or coverage of public health costs. Think flexibly.