ZAGREB, 10 Dec 2021 - Lawmakers on Friday supported the better regulation of  adult education and life-long learning, expressing hope that new act under which vouchers to finance adult education and training will be introduced, will encourage adult education and retraining.

The 2030 target is to reach the EU average of 10.8% adult population covered by education, while Croatia's average is now 3.5% Science and Education Ministry's State Secretary, Tomislav Paljak told the parliament.

The bill has been proposed so that every adult citizen in the country can have access to education and retraining that will provide them with a better position on the labour market and consequently better social status, underscored Paljak.

One of the novelties in the bill is the introduction of vouchers to finance adult education and HRK 300 million has been earmarked for this scheme that will encompass about 30,000 beneficiaries by 2026. The vouchers can be used for all education levels of both employed and unemployed people, he explained.

Independent MP Marijana Petir asked if the measure would be available for residents in rural areas, with Paljak saying that that would be a difficult challenge but he believes, once the campaign starts it will reach everyone.

Dragana Jeckov (SDSS) said that there are about 600 institutions providing adult education with about 11,000 different programmes but they are obviously not achieving their set objectives. The labour market is yearning for certain occupations yet at the same time we have a lot of unemployed people.

The bill also regulates the obligation for permanent adaptation of adult education programmes in order to address the needs of the labour market and to monitor the quality of implementing programmes.

For more on politics, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, Sept 9, 2020 - Lawmakers on Wednesday debated a bill on workers posted to Croatia as well as the implementation of a cross-border agreement on money fines in an attempt to protect their rights, and the Opposition also warned about the status of Croatian workers and that Croatia does not have a sensible industrial policy.

The bill refers to workers who are deployed by a foreign employer to temporarily work in Croatia, which is not their usual place of work, and the proposed bill on workers is being aligned with European legislation.

Davorko Vidovic (SDP bench) welcomed the implementation of EU legislation into Croatian law "because that protects workers and expands the convergence of labor and social rights, it ensures more order and introduces very concrete penalties in cases of abuse."

A Croatian worker in Germany should have at least the minimum rights of local workers, said Vidovic, noting that Croatia has very few workers posted from the European Union.

Sandra Bencic (Left-Green coalition) warned about the non-payment of overtime, the inability to use days-off, or the right to enforce dues from employers. We advocate the development of a sensible industrial policy that Croatia does not have, she claimed. "We do not have enough quality jobs in Croatia."

Bulj: Labor relations in Croatia completely destroyed 

Miro Bulj (Bridge) claimed that workers in Croatia have been completely destroyed yet it is the worker who creates. Responding to criticism by former labor minister Marko Pavic that he was talking out of context, Bulj said that he advocates protecting workers' rights, and added that Pavic is "known as a traveling salesman of expensive perfumes and wines at the ministry's expense" and that he entered parliament with only 200 preferential votes, which speaks for itself what sort of minister he was.

The bill regulates working conditions and rights that are more favorable and provides greater rights for posted workers deployed to Croatia for a longer period of time.

The bill also regulates wage issues for posted workers as well as defining accommodation and costs of a worker's mobility while posted in Croatia as well as the possibility of extending the period a worker can remain in Croatia.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.