For the first time in Croatian history, entrepreneurs protested on Thursday. They demand from the authorities the continuation of measures for the crisis caused by the coronavirus epidemic, the abolition of parafiscal levies, VAT upon collection...
Guesting on Thursday evening in the RTL Danas show, Minister Josip Aladrović stated that they have been communicating with the public for a long time about what has been done and what they intend to do in the future, and reminded that the Government has so far paid out three and a half billion kuna just for the preservation of jobs.
– May is still ahead of us, we can expect that we will complete this measure for another half a million workers for May, in June. We heard a number of demands today, but we must be objective and say to what extent we can meet them. From the context of public finances, this measure for the preservation of jobs is extremely generous. It has yielded good results, and what we are considering and discussing is also the extension of the measure for the sixth month with payments in July, but only for a narrow segment of the most affected – said Minister of Labor Josip Aladrović guesting on RTL Danas.
As for the employers’ announcements about a large number of layoffs, the minister said they can be extremely satisfied when looking at how they have overcome the crisis in the employment segment, i.e., unemployment.
– What we can expect in the next phase depends on what will happen in May when the economy 'unlocks'. We see some extremely positive shifts, we hope that the epidemiological situation will be positive, and in that case, the economy will respond positively in some way, but we are also ready for measures for the most vulnerable. I expect that by the end of next week we will know the extent of the most vulnerable and whom we will help – Aladrović replied and added that everyone must be aware of the limitations of public finances and that there is no more room for assistance as there has been so far.
In addition to the entrepreneurs’ protests, there were also negotiations between the Government and the unions of state and public services on Thursday. Minister Aladrović hopes for a positive response from the unions because, as he said, mutual satisfaction has been expressed through what the Government has offered and what they have discussed with the unions.
– We have clearly communicated to the unions what we expect from them and their membership. We can have the impression that it has been positively received, but the continuation is on Wednesday when I expect that we will conclude the negotiations. It concerns the suspension of a certain salary increase, but when, of course, the conditions are met, that base will grow from the first day of next year. We have opened some models regarding the very reimbursement, the payment of which is undisputed, but that it be directed towards domestic consumption. We will see the response of the unions, but I sincerely hope for a positive response, i.e., an agreement that will show that both the unions of state and public companies show a certain level of empathy towards the private sector, which is in a somewhat disadvantaged position – said Aladrović and emphasized that the position before the elections is an awkward factor for all parties in the process.
