NEWS
Prime Minister Pahor after the meeting with the public sector trade unions: “Fair distribution of burdens is essential.”
“I have been telling in good faith the participants at the meeting that only a very demanding, occasionally even very strenuous social dialogue will enable us to reach a reasonable compromise placing a fair share of burden on the public sector during economic recovery or alleviating its burden,” said the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, after the meeting with the core negotiation team and the representative public sector trade union. The meeting was convened by the Minister of Public Administration, Irma Pavlinič Krebs, in order to present the starting points for drawing up the national budget for 2011 and 2012.
Prime Minister Pahor pointed out that in 2008, when the Government took office, the dynamics of wage increases in the public sector stood at 9.8%. He thanked the competent trade unions and the Minister for successful social dialogue in the past, because without this dialogue the dynamics of wage growth would not have decreased and today we would have a 10.3% growth rate of wages in the public sector. This would be financially unsustainable and would further distance Slovenia from a speedy economic recovery. “I hope and wish that the present round of social dialogue will be successful and that we will reduce the wage bill in the national budget without demotivating the public sector workers. This should be done in a manner allowing them to lead decent lives with their wages, so that they will be motivated to continue performing their job,” added the Prime Minister.
The Government does not only wish to cut the wage bill in the national budget but also to modernise the public sector on the basis of the outcome of discussions next months. “We must find out, if the public sector is managed efficiently and effectively, and in a transparent manner in line with the OECD guidelines. We would like to gain the trust of social partners in order to finalise our agreement on wage policy. According to our experience the efforts of both sides count. The state’s austerity policy will not only affect the public sector employees because its exit strategy addresses reforms at all levels of its competence. The bottom line is a fair distribution of burdens,” concluded Prime Minister Pahor.