Three trade unions expect the government to begin talks on basic pay, benefits, and wage indexing for 2027 by next week at the latest. Union leaders stated this on Tuesday at a press conference in Osijek.
Matija Krošin from the Independent Union of Science and Higher Education said that all 11 unions had sent a request to the government at the end of September, along with a recent reminder. He stated that the government has been stalling for 1,400 days on negotiations with these unions regarding their sectoral agreements. He added that the government has not reached an agreement with trade unions in the public sector on key existential issues for 250,000 employees for 680 days. He assessed that the government's commitment to collective bargaining and social dialogue with trade unions in the public sector is at its lowest in the past ten years.
Krošin added that they have high expectations regarding talks with Finance Minister Tomislav Ćorić, who already has experience negotiating with trade unions. He highlighted that basic pay has increased cumulatively by 2 per cent this year, while inflation is trending towards 5 per cent annually, and wages in the private sector are rising by 10 per cent. He stated that the government has neglected its employees in comparison to the growth of other wages in the country.
Krošin commented on the situation with wages in Zagreb, where the government is led by Možemo! and the SDP, assessing that the position of their employees needs significant improvement. He stated that basic pay in those public enterprises has risen by 40 per cent in the last two years, whereas in their sector it has not risen by even a double-digit percentage, with this year's increase being just 2 per cent. He remarked that while it is possible in Zagreb, it is clearly not possible at the national level with the current government.
Željko Stipić from the School Union Preporad stated that Prime Minister Andrej Plenković says one thing but does the opposite, and orders his ministers to delay negotiations with the public sector as long as possible. Stipić stated that the unions are being led on, as they know that if collective agreements remain in force, the expenditure on benefits arising from those agreements is zero. He said that if there are no new material benefits, there is no increase in existing material benefits, and that means the cost of labour is actually falling.
Zrinko Turalia from the Independent Union of Employees in Secondary Schools in Croatia recalled the Day of the Teacher. He stated that teachers have been waiting since 2016 for major reform measures, from a comprehensive curriculum reform to the present day. He said they are waiting for one reform in which teachers would be the centre of the world. He assessed that as long as only students and parents are satisfied, there will be frustration, and that 1,300 euros will not attract anyone to the school system.
