Home / Business and Politics / We Peeked into the Economic Programs of Future Parliamentarians. See What They Plan for Salaries and Employment

We Peeked into the Economic Programs of Future Parliamentarians. See What They Plan for Salaries and Employment

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As usual, the pre-election campaign has completely strayed onto the well-trodden paths of ideology and some new detours of 'middle fingers', while the economic programs have stalled like dead letters on paper and seemingly have no place in the public space, which is absurd considering the flourishing economic crisis like we have never seen before.

We have therefore analyzed the economic programs of six candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections – the Restart coalition, HDZ, the Homeland Movement, Most, the We Can coalition, and the Party with a Name and Surname, Focus, and Smart, which achieved the best results according to the surveys conducted in June by the Promocija plus agency for RTL’s CRO Demoskop.

Results of the CRO Demoskop survey, conducted for RTL by the Promocija plus agency in early June

RESTART coalition – SDP, HSS, HSU, GLAS, IDS, and SNAGA – 27.2 percent

HDZ – 26.6 percent

Homeland Movement of Miroslav Škoro – Sovereignists, Block for Croatia, and BURA – 13.5 percent

MOST – 4.1 percent

Coalition Party with a Name and Surname, Focus, and Smart – 3.7 percent

We Can (We Can-Zagreb is Ours-New Left-Orah-Workers’ Front) – 2.4 percent

The electoral 'Program for a Better Start' of the Restart coalition brings as many as 151 implementation measures, with great attention paid to confronting the crisis, 'social welfare', and 'state at a click'. Although the intentions are concrete, every business person raised on KPIs will immediately notice the absence of specific numbers. On the other hand, the HDZ program 'Safe Croatia' is full of numbers, but they are mostly related to results achieved so far. It is difficult to penetrate through the plethora of praises for past times to concrete measures, and that on 119 pages. However, it is surprising that in a hundred pages, the crisis and coronavirus are mentioned less than ten times, while the ruling party thoroughly explains past measures and does not clarify what entrepreneurs can expect.

In general, the crisis and corona appear very shyly in all analyzed programs, as if they are unwelcome there too. One of the main generators of economic growth – exports – is generally ignored. The reform of the tax system along with the digitalization of public administration are the main pillars of all analyzed programs.

See what the candidates announced in the area of employment and other measures for the improvement of labor rights.

EMPLOYMENT AND OTHER MEASURES

Restart:

  • destimulate fixed-term contracts and contracts for work
  • shorten payment deadlines for the state and public companies towards the entrepreneurial sector
  • increase the amount of the minimum wage to 4000 kuna net
  • reduce contributions on wages by 50 percent for all workers receiving the minimum wage
  • introduce a 50 percent relief on health insurance contributions for employers in labor-intensive sectors who pay minimum wages
  • ensure one hundred percent net salary for mothers on maternity leave

HDZ:

  • create conditions for the opening of 100,000 new jobs and invest 10 billion kuna in this
  • by the end of the term, the average salary will be 7,600 kuna, and the minimum wage at least 4,250 kuna
  • provide each young person with 130,000 kuna in non-repayable funds for self-employment
  • parental allowances at the level of full salary

Homeland Movement:

  • enable the employment of retirees (regardless of the method of retirement) while retaining acquired rights

Most:

  • strengthening lump-sum crafts
  • abolishing the minimum base for contributions for directors and members of the company
  • abolishing mandatory audits for small entrepreneurs
  • ensure a favorable regulatory framework for startups and student entrepreneurs so they do not lose student rights

We Can:

  • encourage the consolidation of the private sector
  • regulate labor legislation and fixed-term work
  • raise the minimum wage, at least to the amount of 60 percent of the median wage in Croatia, which would currently amount to 4,600 kuna gross
  • ensure a non-working Sunday
  • strengthen the functions of collective bargaining and the role of worker representatives

Coalition Party with a Name and Surname, Focus, and Smart

  • income tax of 10 percent creates conditions for the opening of high-paying jobs, which will cause an increase in contributions for pension and health insurance, thereby stabilizing these systems
  • a set of incentive measures for investment in research and development

The main criticism of the economic programs of all parties and coalitions is quite predictable; they lack precision, that is, besides explaining how they will implement their ideas into action.

– The electoral programs do not contain clearly articulated strategic intentions, cataloged and interconnected strategic initiatives and activities, and explanations of how to implement them. These are political, not economic strategies, and they were created based on listening to targeted groups, written as wishes and greetings – states Nikola Nikšić, a certified management consultant. 

Read more about the analyzed economic programs in the new issue of the printed and digital Lider. Tomorrow we will bring the complete electoral program of the Croatian Democratic Union.

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