Trade Unionists from Marjan Announce Support for Reforms, but Not ‘for Budget Filling, Rather for Workers’

At the traditional May Day celebration of International Workers’ Day on Marjan in Split, 2,500 portions of bean stew were distributed on Tuesday, and union representatives called for wage increases for workers.

This year’s May Day celebration on Marjan was organized under the slogan “For Reforms, For People,” which, as explained by union activists, aims to convey that unions are not against reforms but advocate for reforms that would improve the position of workers.

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“Unions are for reforms, but not for the purpose of filling the budget, rather for workers, for increasing their wages and standards, and for reducing taxes,” said Vedran Dragičević, president of the Metalworkers’ Union of Croatia.

In addition to the traditional May Day gathering on Marjan, organized by the Association of Independent Trade Unions of Croatia and the Tourist Board of the City of Split, a parallel May Day gathering was also held at Peristil, where the organizers, the Split SDP and Nova Ljevica, stated that they wanted to send messages about workers’ rights. Dragičević, responding to journalists’ questions, stated that he is not bothered by the parallel gathering of the Split SDP and Nova Ljevica, but added that parties have the remaining 364 days of the year for that.

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“Some parties that are fighting for power tried to use this day to somehow address workers and tell them that they care about them. They should be doing that for the remaining 364 days of the year, and on May 1, let workers express what they think themselves. It is not fair that parties did this when it is the holiday of May 1,” said Dragičević.

The distribution of bean stew on Marjan was also attended by the Split-Dalmatia County Prefect Blaženko Boban, who told reporters that, according to his latest information, Croatia will lack 15,000 employees this tourist season. According to Boban, this means that many young people have gone abroad, and the quotas introduced by the Government for importing labor cannot fill this gap because workers from neighboring countries are also going to third countries, not to Croatia. Boban believes that the responsibility for solving workers’ difficulties lies with employers.

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“Profit cannot be so high while employees have to leave due to low wages,” said Boban. He announced that the Split-Dalmatia County will soon present its economic program. “In the coming days, we will present a new economic program in Split-Dalmatia County, which I hope will be exclusive and for all other counties,” said Boban.