BRATISLAVA, September 5, (WEBNOVINY) — Representatives of the Trade Unions Confederation (KOZ) walked out of the Monday tripartite meeting. KOZ Vice President Vladimir Mojs said at a press meeting that the main reason for the walk-out is that the government is ignoring conclusions agreed upon at previous tripartite sessions. Mojs went on to say that Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Jozef Mihal submitted a draft revision to the law on occupational safety and health protection in mid-August without including comments that all social partners agreed on at June session of the Social and Economic Council. Mojs opines that the Labor Minister thus violated the tripartite’s procedural order.
“We have expressed objections against such arrogant treatment,” said KOZ Vice President adding that it is Cabinet’s turn now. “I do not know when we will return to the meeting as we are waiting to see Cabinet’s reaction,” said Mojs. He called on the Cabinet to start respecting agreed rules and reassess its approach to the social dialogue.
Trade unionists also accuse the government of introducing social experiments that affect the whole social system, which will ultimately lay heavy on citizens. “We object to such style of government,” stressed Mojs referring to the draft bill on the income from gainful activity, which is to introduce the super-gross wage as of the beginning of next year. “The Cabinet ignored our stance on this proposal,” concluded KOZ Vice President. He also slammed the fact that this Cabinet’s proposal would revise 110 other laws. “The reform of the tax and levy system needs to be carried out, but not in a way the Cabinet suggests,” opines Mojs. Trade unionists do not find implementation of the super-gross wage inevitable. “It is only a tool for implementation of the fund contribution bonus, which will be a crime against citizens,” added Mojs.
The State Secretary at the Labor Ministry Lucia Nicholsonova finds the departure of trade unionists from Monday’s tripartite session to be irresponsible. “Social partners were also supposed to discuss a very important law on assistance in material need,” she said to journalists on Monday adding that KOZ expressed a fundamental opinion to the draft during the interdepartmental review, suggesting withdrawal the tabled bill from further legislative process. Nicholsonova said that the Cabinet should release its stance on trade unionists’ departure from the meeting later this week.
SITA