The unions of public service employees do not ask the private sector for further sacrifices, but they demand equal working conditions in the public sector from the Government as an employer and owner. If not regarding salaries, then at least concerning sacrifices, emphasizes the Union of State Officials and Employees of Croatia in today’s statement.
We demand that the money we are willing to sacrifice under equal conditions for all employees in the public sector be used to create a fund for assistance for new employment in the private sector and social assistance for the unemployed, but also that the gift for children be excluded from the package of restrictions, says the union."We are not against reforms or the reduction of public administration where possible, but we demand that this process takes place in a way that does not reduce the existing level of public service and jobs, if they can be preserved through natural attrition, programmed hiring, and rotation within public administration.
"The relative security of salaries and jobs in public service is certainly an advantage in times of crisis, but the Union of State Officials reminds that salaries in the public sector during economic prosperity do not remotely follow the growth of salaries in the economy. It also reminds of the almost constant internal restructuring in public administration, which has resulted in layoffs of about 6,000 employees in the defense system alone due to adjustments to NATO standards. The unions of public services will continue negotiations with the Government on the positions of solidarity in the crisis of all employees in the public sector and achieving consensus on the joint action of all social partners during the crisis, the statement concludes. (H)
