Katarina Peović from the Workers’ Front was a guest of N1 Studio live. She spoke about the Labor Law, the ban on working on Sundays, as well as the summit of the Crimean Platform.
Peović says that competitiveness cannot be created by lowering workers’ rights, which the government is doing.
“Her country did not become competitive, so she pressed the workers even more. The purpose of the Labor Law is to confront employers and bad employers who want to deprive workers. HUP has ensured that in times of crisis and extraordinary conditions, a percentage of the worker’s salary is automatically deducted. The employer can unilaterally deduct 30 percent,” she said.
He notes that collective agreements must regulate better rights, not worse.
“Instead of encouraging collective bargaining and strengthening unions, the government blackmailed unions that unions that are representative and sign collective agreements will have benefits for members. We have a problem with the fact that only those unions that sign the collective agreement have benefits for their members, that is blackmail,” she said.
Fixed-term contracts will not be resolved by the new proposal of the Law, he notes.
“We have twice as many of them as the European average. On the other hand, they left agency work completely unregulated. In HUP, they pretend to be dissatisfied, but in fact they got what they wanted. But that will not do them any good, nor entrepreneurship in Croatia. The labor law is so tailored that everything we have had so far, we will get it in an even more monstrous form. Now, with a rigid law, they have enabled agency work to swell,” he points out.
Prohibition of work on Sundays
Speaking about the issue of regulating work on Sundays, Peović said that it was a completely wrong question.
“That story about regulating work on Sundays is a completely wrong question. The worker must have two days off, he must also have Saturday off. I call for a proposal to be made that we should be free on Saturdays. This is not a worldview issue, these are rights won through centuries of trade union struggles. Only those who have to work on weekends. Workers who work 5 days are entitled to two days off,” he explains.
“Working on Sundays is just a drop in the ocean of problems our workers have. The labor law must be a law that protects workers. And that is not this law,” she added.
Crimean platform
Peović says that as members of parliament of the opposition, they were not informed at all about the summit of the Crimean Platform, nor were they involved in it. He also rejects accusations of pro-Russian attitudes.
“The accusation of pro-Russian views is really ridiculous. There is absolutely no chance that anyone will remain unscathed by that criticism because it is the only thing they can do. We supported the proposal to monitor the implementation of sanctions. Of course, HDZ will not support this. It is symptomatic that they have a minister in the government who acquired a large part of his property with a Russian partner. The only connection we find with Russian capital is the connection we find with the right side of the parliament,” she said.
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