BRATISLAVA, October 5, (WEBNOVINY) — Representatives of businesses clustered in the National Association of Employers (RUZ) slammed the planned blockade of Slovak border crossing points with Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Austria announced by trade unionists for October 11. Also, employers rebuked trade unions for severely harming economic interests of Slovakia and its citizens. “By the prepared protest, these unionists are, moreover, trying to avert those reforms the effect of which would increase employees’ net income and reduce unemployment,” the association pointed out.
The global economy is on the verge of a new crisis that may affect most of the world, including Slovakia. “It is, therefore, necessary that Slovakia adopts such reform steps that will increase competitiveness of our country, make it more attractive for foreign investors and help create new jobs,” employers argue. Additionally, the government must implement a series of measures to stabilize public finances and subsequently, ensure gradual consolidation of the deficit.
“If the prepared tax & payroll levy reform increases net income of employees, then it is incomprehensible that the trade union bosses protest against it. Whose interest do they represent? Those of employees or of the SMER-SD party?,” Association President Jozef Spirko wonders. He reminded that the Trade Unions Confederation (KOZ) concluded a strategic cooperation agreement with the opposition party. “That’s why activities of trade unionists are mainly politically motivated and have nothing in common with defense of employees’ rights,” Spirko countered. Spirko blames the present detrimental situation in public finances and public debt on the previous government that was silently supported by trade unions. Thus, they took Slovakia to the Greek path.
The OZ KOVO metalworkers’ trade union will block border crossing points with Austria, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic for thirty minutes on October 11. OZ KOVO boss Emil Machyna told journalists that their Polish, Hungarian, Czech and Austrian colleagues would come to the border crossing points, too. Trade unionists will block the borders symbolically from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. local time, to express their opposition to the increase in the retirement age, the tax & payroll levy reform and the „privatization“ of the health sector.
Machyna slammed the approved changes to the pay-as-you-go, the first, pension pillar. “We disagree with pension decreases,” he noted. This will be to the detriment of all people as their living standard will deteriorate. “There will be 1.2 million very poor people in Slovakia that will struggle to survive decently because pensions will be substantially lower,” he foretold. Using a 400-euro monthly salary as the basis, trade unionists have calculated that a monthly pension from the second pension pillar would be EUR 72 on a 20-year annuity. “They would get 80 euros from the pay-as-you-go scheme,” he said.
Machyna is further convinced that there is room for an over 4-percent increase in the minimum wage. If employers can cover 8-percent growth in energy prices, they would also be able to cover an increase in the minimum wage, Machyna maintains. He further pointed out that employers have been stepping up pressure on the government. “We feel as if they ruled, not the government,” Machyna observed. An increase in the lowest salaries would bolster budget revenue, the OZ KOVO chief argues. He expects that Labor Minister Jozef Mihal would suggest keeping the minimum wage unchanged at the respective Cabinet session dedicated to this matter. “He should advocate interests of citizens, and not of capital,” Machyna commented.
SITA