Yes, this is possible in Croatia. An employer pays an employee not to come to work. Petra Škof Mikulek worked as a public relations expert at HAKOM, and a year and a half ago she was supposed to return part-time from maternity leave. In the meantime, that position was abolished, and HAKOM informed her not to come, while she would continue to receive half of her salary – 3,600 kuna, reports 24sata. She even received a reward for 10 years of service in the company – 15,000 kuna. She also received a vacation allowance.
Škof Mikulek shared her story with the media and said that it is a shame that she receives a salary while people are digging through dumpsters; she received a lawsuit. HAKOM believed that she had damaged their reputation.
On Friday, the lawsuit was concluded, and Škof Mikulek stated that it was “not her intention to defame or embarrass HAKOM, and therefore she apologizes to them.” However, as her lawyer says, “she still thinks it is incredible that she receives a salary while not working.”
Since she is still formally on maternity leave, they cannot terminate her, so they decided to pay her half of her salary while she does not come to work until April 2017.
She, on the other hand, has sued HAKOM for discrimination, and that process is still ongoing. HAKOM has also sent the State Inspectorate to court regarding this case.
