Trade Unions: Almost 70% of employees earn a wage below the national average

Participants of a roundtable organized by the Science Union and Preporod said on Tuesday that wages in Croatia must increase because almost 70% of employees receive wages lower than the national average, warning that education and science are among the biggest losers of the wage reform.

"According to data for April, the average net wage was around €1,550, but almost 70% of employees receive wages below that average. The question arises as to how we will retain workers in Croatia, especially highly educated ones, with such low wages," said Izabela-Delfa Mišić, economist for the Independent Croatian Trade Unions.

"As for public services, education and science are among the biggest losers in the ongoing wage reform and the new coefficient system, even though more than 80% of highly educated people work in that system," added Sebastijan Troskot from the Preporod Trade Union.

Matija Kroflin from the Trade Union of Science emphasized that the Government has room for growth in all salaries, including through tax relief for labor, which is clearly shown by data on filling local budgets. Kroflin said that the amendments to the law were an opportunity to correct the injustice, but the ministry failed to do so.

The participants of the roundtable also warned about the Government's attitude towards collective bargaining, which, they say, is destructive and sets a negative example for private employers. Negotiations are often just a show, which leaves workers in a disadvantaged position and with fewer opportunities to influence their own wages and working conditions.

Source: HRT