The Union of State Officials and Employees of Croatia announced today that the Government plans to adopt a regulation that will significantly increase the coefficients for state officials working on the management of European Union (EU) funds by prescribing special positions and job roles compared to regular official positions.
Should the jobs of officials related to the management of EU fund resources be treated as first-class and better paid, while jobs managing resources from Croatian taxpayers, on which other state officials work, be treated as second-class, asks the union. It is also problematic that this regulation is supplemented and changed depending on daily needs, although it is a legal act that, based on the transitional provisions of the Law on State Officials, remains in force until the special law regulating the salaries of state officials comes into effect.
"In the union, we may understand the concerns of EU institutions regarding the funds that will be entrusted to Croatia, but we believe that all funds intended for the common good of Croatian citizens should be managed according to the principle of a good steward, regardless of their source." The adoption of such a regulation speaks to the state of salaries and the spirit in public administration, where the chronic underpayment of professional staff is compensated by discriminatory solutions, and issues related to EU accession are presumed to be much more important than the quality and efficiency of the work of state bodies in the part where they represent a service to citizens and the economy. (H)
