ZAGREB, October 2, 2018 – The government has proposed a 2 percent increase in the base pay in the public sector in 2019 during negotiations with unions, unionist Branimir Mihalinec said after a round of talks on Monday evening.
In his ironic comment, Mihalinec said that they expected nothing from the government and the proposal was actually “2%” more than nothing.
The next round of the negotiations is set for Thursday, when Finance Minister Zdravko Marić is expected to persuade unions of public sector employees why this is a good offer, Mihalinec said.
According to him, the gap between salaries in the public sector and in the real sector now stands at 18.9% compared to the pre-crisis period.
Stjepan Topolnjak, another unionist who today participated in the negotiations, also expressed dissatisfaction with the offer made by the government.
Labour and Pension System Minister Marko Pavić confirmed on Monday that the negotiations had been held earlier in the day and that all that was an ordinary part of the process. He said that Finance Minister Marić would explain the government’s proposal in detail on Thursday.
Unionist Boris Pleše said that for salaries to reach their level of 2013, it would be necessary for them to rise three percent in 2019.
