ZAGREB, April 5, 2020 – Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardić on Sunday presented a 1.7-billion-kuna rescue package designed by this Opposition party to help those citizens who are hardest hit by the crisis caused by the COVID 19 epidemic.
At the start of the news conference in Zagreb, the SDP chief recalled that due to the crisis 400,000 jobs in the country are at risk, and furthermore 20,000 workers have been already fired, while 37,000 persons registered by the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) receive the monthly dole of HRK 2,600, while more than 100,000 unemployed persons are without any social welfare allowance.
Commenting on the hardship which those citizens with blocked accounts and citizens with monthly income below the poverty threshold are experiencing, Bernardić said that the 10-measure package was intended for those out of work, social welfare recipients, pension recipients and for all “who can barely make ends meet”.
Under the SDP package, 20,000 people who are now out of work due to the corona crisis would be entitled to the monthly allowance of HRK 4,000.
Those 100,000 unemployed persons who he said could not find employment due to the crisis would be entitled to the monthly allowance of HRK 1,625.
Commenting on the troubles bothering 5,500 permanent seasonal workers, Bernardić said that the SDP set of measures would provide for 3,250 kuna every month to them plus social welfare benefits to which some of them are entitled.
Bernardić said the SDP would enable 750 kuna as a supplement to each pensioner with the monthly income up to 1,939 kuna.
He said that those measures encompassed 400,000 citizens.
The SDP also proposes that pensioners with low incomes should be exempt from paying monthly TV fee.
The SDP is in favour of suspension of enforcement, the party leader said, among other things.
He reiterated that this party would insist on a year-long moratorium on repayment of loans unlike the government’s proposal for a three-month-long moratorium.
More SDP news can be found in the Politics section.
