Big changes connected to student contracts might be introduced soon, RTL reports.
On August 18, 2017, RTL reported that the representatives of two biggest trade unions in Croatia are considering eliminating or limiting student work.
They feel that many employees are taking advantage of students as cheap workforce, instead of hiring qualified graduates.
The Independent Union of Research and Higher Education Employees of Croatia President Vilim Ribić and Independent Trade Unions of Croatia President Krešimir Sever commented on the issue.
Mr Ribić’s statement was quite short. “Student contract work has been massive and unregulated up to the point where it takes away its own purpose, and becomes a means of manipulating the state and its workers, so I am in favour of abolishing that type of work. Student work should be given its original purpose back.”
Mr Sever explained that the Trade Unions are in no way in favour of abolishing student work, but they feel that a better legal framework is needed in order to prevent the exploitation of students and “stealing” jobs away from the working age population.
“We have been trying to make people realise that we need to look at the bigger picture here; some people have commented that we are against students working, which is completely false,” Mr Sever says, adding that the main issue they have is with what student contract work has turned into.
“A huge part of it has turned into the exploitation of students on one side and limiting employment possibilities on the other. It is cheaper for employers to employ students because then they have to pay lower taxes.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to restore order to the system, first of all, by making more scholarships available, financed both by the state and by employers, which would then serve as a basis for tax reduction to companies.
On the other hand, some students have to work, some of them full-time, which affects their studies. It is more important to enable all students the financial means to study and provide more scholarships for them,” Mr Sever said, adding that, if students found the time to work, then they should be allowed to do it.
“Many companies fire their employees when they find students who can work using their student contracts. It has become a profitable business, not for students, but for companies, to trick the state and avoid paying taxes.
We want students to be able to work under certain conditions, and not for them to take away jobs from their parents,” Mr Sever added, mentioning that the situation used to be better because student jobs used to be temporary, but now that the employers have recognised the potential of earning more money by hiring students, these types of jobs have become permanent.
Translated from Vijesti.rtl.hr.
