Today, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, together with his Croatian colleague Ivo Sanader, took part in the meeting “Trade Unions without Borders”, which was organized by the Slovenian and Croatian trade union associations. Prime Minister Janša congratulated the representatives of both trade unions and the attending ministers on the occasion of the international Labour Day and said that the demands made when 1 May began being celebrated are still of current interest and will continue to be such for a long time. Labour Day symbolizes the demands of workers worldwide for a just treatment of input work.
(Photo: Kristina Kosec/Bobo)
“It involves a constant balancing between labour and capital, an ongoing search for a proper manner of organizing society, by which we will make progress, by which what is more progressive and open, more future-oriented, will be given stronger support,” said the Prime Minister. Nevertheless in the years to come, as Janša said, not only the right to work and decent pay will be important, but also the right of access to quality knowledge.
(Photo: Kristina Kosec/Bobo)
Prime Minister Janša also emphasized the importance of social dialogue and social dimensions in the development of the European Union’s future, since they will have to be balanced with economic and environmental development. He also mentioned the Spring Summit of the European Union and the Tripartite Social Summit and pointed out that “the social dimension has never yet been given such emphasis in the European Union documents focused on future development as this spring. This is also due to the strong involvement of the European trade unions, which played an equal role to that of the European leaders.” At the Tripartite Social Summit, the belief of all parties that only economic growth and development constitute a real basis for prosperity could be felt throughout the debate. “However,” added the Prime Minister, “we cannot talk about prosperity if not all of us may enjoy it, that is to say, if those who contribute to these results with their work are not fairly remunerated.”
(Photo: Kristina Kosec/Bobo)
Prime Minister Janša also emphasized the symbolic meaning of the meeting at the border between Slovenia and Croatia, which proves that border crossings are not necessarily something that separates people but can also be a place of meeting. It is particularly important to be aware that cross-border cooperation is present in border areas and that borders can be open. In the words of the Slovenian Prime Minister, the meeting of trade unions demonstrates that despite certain pending issues between the two states, we are nevertheless making steps forward. “Where we differ in our views concerning certain solutions, we have to try to align these views and search for the best possible compromise in a constructive dialogue – similar to social dialogue,” said Prime Minister Janša.
