ZAGREB, CROATIA - Three members of the economic-social committee talked about the disputed changes in the law on employment, the proposed law on salaries for state officials, and the proposed changes to the law on foreigners, and the proposed draft of the decision on determining the yearly quota of work permits for foreigners in the calendar year of 2009.

The longest discussion was on the salaries of state officials, where various interpretations of the employment regulations were in question. HUP (Croatian Employer’s Association) representative Ivica Mudrinic said that the HUP considers that, considering the high cost of the public administration, the reforms should take place as soon as possible. He considers that it is necessary to carry out the full reform of the state administration, which he illustrated with the example of highways that were not made by fixing old roads, but building new roads.

Cabinet vice-president Jadranka Kosor said that it has been decided that the discussion on salaries be delayed until the first meeting of the Croatian parliament on January 28, and that union representatives will be able to participate in compiling regulations that will follow the law. She added that, even though some unions think differently, the employment law has not been cancelled, but only valued differently. Up until now the salary of a public worker could grow up to 20 percent, and now it will be 33 percent. It is planned to award state officials with up to 3,000 kuna a year, with which they want to create state officials that are well paid and stimulated for quality work.

“We do not want state officials to leave state service, and the regulations of this law want to stop that” said minister Kosor.

Unions: Whilst so many people are unemployed, we should not increase quotas for foreigners

Vilim Ribic from the head of the Croatian unions, considers that too much attention was aimed at the issue of the salary law, because rewarding is now tied to the system of evaluation. So most workers can progress every five years with a three percent salary raise. Only a smaller amount of officials, whose work will be qualified as “satisfactory” will not progress. Those who get the grade “excellent” will progress immediately, not having to wait five years. The reasons why the unions are unhappy with this law is that the system of grading is not clear.

As he says, a superior can promote somebody if they like them, or if they are in the same party as them.

The changes in the law on employment were disputed because of the regulation on redistributing work time, and expanding the collective contract, which according to the words of the president of the GSV (Economic Social Council) and representative of HUP Ivica Mudrinic, caused a lot of discussion. The stance of the cabinet and HUP is that they need to ensure the implementation of the European Union directives, in order to increase competitiveness, especially small and medium businesses. The vice-president of the GSV, Jadranka Kosor, stressed that it was arranged that in this phase, the law will only be synchronized with EU directives, which is necessary for the negotiations.

The proposed changes to the law on foreigners, and the draft of the decision on determining the yearly quota of work permits for employing foreigners, have been delayed by the GSV by eight days. The yearly quotas were disputed, especially in shipbuilding.

“Whilst there are so many people unemployed, the quota does not need to be increased” said Ribic.