Aladrović: 55,000 More People Employed Than in 2020, 4,000 More Than in 2019
ZAGREB, 8 July 2021 - Labour and Pension System Minister Josip Aladrović said on Thursday that Croatia had 55,000 employed persons more than last year and 4,000 more than in 2019, which was the year with the highest total number of employed persons since 2008, that is the last economic crisis.
We have slightly over 120,000 unemployed persons on the labor market, the minister said in parliament presenting a legal solution according to which family pension beneficiaries would have the right to work part-time and receive the full amount of pension.
Citing data from the Croatian Pension Insurance Insitute (HZMO), he said that there had been 216,000 family pension beneficiaries in June, mostly widows and widowers, and their pension had been HRK 2,094 on average, which is lower than the average pension.
At the risk of poverty
In 27% of cases, the surviving spouse is at risk of poverty, the minister stressed, explaining that amendments to the Pension Insurance Act seek to reduce the risk of poverty for pensioners, as well as fill gaps in the labor market.
Nada Murganić (HDZ) welcomed the amendments, recalling that family pension beneficiaries often left their jobs to take care of family members or look after the children. This will enable them to return to the world of work, she said.
Although MPs support the government's proposal that family pension beneficiaries be allowed to work and receive a pension, some of them fear that this could harm the unemployed, and some warn that this will not bring much momentum to the labor market.
Labour shortage, especially shortage of skilled workers, is one of the challenges Croatia is facing, and one of the ways to overcome it is to activate everyone who wants to work and has a specific knowledge, the minister told Anita Pocrnić Radošević (HDZ).
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Minister Says Redesigned Job-keeping Measures to Go into Force soon
ZAGREB, Oct 14, 2020 - Labour and Pension System Minister Josip Aladrovic said on Wednesday that the government, together with restaurant and bar owners, employers and trade unions, was expected to redesign job-keeping measures by Friday, after which they would be activated next week.
Speaking to reporters ahead of a government session, Aladrovic said that the government would do what was necessary to help retain jobs.
He said that there were currently no mass-scale layoffs due to the coronavirus crisis in relation to the most critical months of the pandemic, which he said was a good indicator.
However, the government must act considering the epidemiological and economic situation that changes quickly, he noted.
The reason for redefining government measures is that in past months, the revenue of restaurant and bar owners had improved and some of them did not have to use government aid, said Aladrovic.
"We have been in touch with employers and trade unions on a daily basis. If different measures prove possible, to enhance the possibility to prevent layoffs, we will adopt them," he said.
Asked whether he believed, in the context of Monday's shooting in St. Mark's Square, that young person in Croatia were neglected, Aladrovic said he could not agree with that impression.
"... as regards youth employment policies, in the last term we reduced the youth unemployment rate from 50 to 18%," he said, adding, in response to a reporter's question, that he did not know the exact amount of the average wage of a young person but that a general wage increase had been recorded and that it must have had an effect on young people's wages.
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Aladrovic: Agreement Reached With Public Services, Holiday Bonus To Be Paid Out
ZAGREB, May 27, 2020 - Croatian Labour and Pension System Minister Josip Aladrovic said on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached with public sector unions on an annex to the basic collective agreement and on holiday allowances being paid into citizens' accounts rather than through the Cro Card.
"We have reached an agreement with public sector employees, they accepted the earlier offer by a majority. We have taken the position that we will pay the HRK 1,500 holiday allowance as we have so far - into citizens' accounts," Minister Aladrovic said after a meeting with public and government sector trade unions.
He underscored that government negotiators had been under the impression that union members were not pleased enough with the Cro Card idea and that they would continue negotiations with government employees on Friday, adding that he believed the talks would have a positive outcome.
Asked if it was a success when six out of eleven trade unions rejected the government's offer, Aladrovic said it was a compromise.
"I am glad we have reached an agreement. The rejections, these are things that are resolved within and between trade unions, and I, as part of the government, would not wish to interfere in their relations," Aladrovic said.
He stressed that paying holiday bonuses directly into citizens' accounts had the same financial scope as payments through the Cro Card.
"Whether it goes to the Cro Card or is paid into users' account makes no difference to us. We wanted to achieve an indirect effect on the economy, but we believe that everything we payout as the holiday allowance will still end up in the domestic economy," Aladrovic said.
He added that the cost of holiday allowances amounted to about HRK 300 million.
Health sector unions underscored as an issue the non-payment of overtime pay, and the minister said they had defined this three to four weeks ago.
"That problem has been partially solved, there is the problem of the past, but that is in the domain of court proceedings, and I would not comment on it further," Aladrovic said.
