|
A split shipyard worker, a Zagreb taxi driver, a Slavonian farmer, and an employee of Croatian Television met… No, this is not the beginning of a good joke. If such a group were to meet, nothing would be funny. The topics would be serious, and mutual understanding would be exceptionally high, regardless of the fact that these people come from different sectors and sociocultural backgrounds. What they would have in common is their bitterness towards the government and society as a whole, which does not show understanding for the problems they find themselves in. And right now, in the deepest recession, their economic position is being attempted to be worsened. Shipyard workers, taught for decades that the difference between the contracted sale price of a ship and the incurred costs is covered by taxpayers, are now faced with the possibility that their companies will end up in bankruptcy. Or, in the best case, that many employees will lose their jobs.
Cradled in Monopoly
Zagreb taxi drivers are not angry at the state authorities, but at the city ones, who dared to touch the ‘collective monopoly’ of the previous holders of taxi licenses. Just when it is difficult, competition is allowed to enter, which could lower taxi service prices and introduce a new business model: lower prices, more rides, greater overall earnings. Farmers are an old story. They too could tell the rest of society at the table their sad story about how they are frequently denied the incentive rights they acquired with great difficulty and with the help of the HSS. They would completely understand the shipyard workers in mentioning the claim that ‘our competition in the West receives abundant state subsidies, so we must receive as much.’ And an HTV employee would tell his sad story about how there is less and less public understanding for the way financing is done to ensure that the untouched number of employees at the television station continues to be financed by a combination of taxes (subscriptions) and dumped advertising minute prices. The common denominator of shipyard workers, taxi drivers, farmers, and HTV employees is that in happier times, the so-called fat years, they managed to negotiate a special market position – which is legitimate. Everyone has the right to maximize their income and profit by legally permitted means. However, this also carries a great risk. When the crisis, ‘lean’ years come, that source can dry up. When pushed against the wall, even generous politicians no longer dare to buy votes or calm high-risk groups, eager to take to the streets.
If advice can be given to such groups (leaders and employees), it boils down to the fact that it is rational to raise dust, but it is equally wise to accept the reality: that the state finances of this country are on the brink of bankruptcy and that there will be no money for easy distribution for years to come. After the protests end and the cameras turn off, everyone should start adapting in their own backyard.
French TV Lesson
A few weeks ago, a journalist from a French TV station was announced to our editorial office. We watched in disbelief as a fragile girl bent under the weight of the camera, dragging a heavy tripod in the other hand. There were no cameramen, no sound technicians. A colleague set up the camera, turned it on, and started the interview. If in wealthier France they save on people, how is it possible that this is not done in poorer Croatia?
Similar comparisons could be made regarding how much steel scrap is in the circle of Croatian shipyards compared to Korean ones; how the yard of a Croatian agricultural producer looks compared to that of an Austrian. Not to mention how many cheap rides a taxi driver in Singapore does compared to his ‘frozen’ colleague in Zagreb. The recessionary cleansing reminds us of an old, simple truth. The basic criterion that solves the problems of entrepreneurs, managers, and their employees is – to operate without losses. In which case, this balance of income and expenses must be achieved in the classical market. If you can ‘score’ something from the state, i.e., from other taxpayers – that is O.K., but it must then be for profit realization, not for patching up income and expense accounts. It is time to wake up. The claim that in other countries the budget helps some sectors has a caveat. The rest of the companies operating without state aid must be able to earn for their profits, but also for others’. If they cannot do this due to excessive state and irrationally distributed spending, corruption, and disarray in the state environment, aid for chronic dependents on state subsidies will dry up.
|
