Minister of Public Administration Boris Koprivnikar admitted nobody is satisfied with the proposed measures, as everybody had to give something up, but they remained united. According to his words it is obvious such savings have to be achieved to allow a development-oriented budget.
The details of the measures are presented at the press conference in which the presidents of all three coalition parties are participating – i.e. Miro Cerar (SMC Party), PM, and Ministers Karl Erjavec (DeSUS Party), and Dejan Židan (SD Party) – along with Minister of Finance Dušan Mramor and Mateja Vraničar, State Secretary. Cerar emphasized thus a very important systemic measure is being adopted, to be upgraded at the individual ministries. To those employed in public administration Cerar assures that the government wishes to show, on its own example, that the problems we are facing can be surmounted by constructive cooperation, therefore he expects the unions to lend an ear to their suggestions.
Erjavec said that they gave in and assured only additional 19, and not 40 million euro for pensioner’s holiday allowance. "We don’t want the solution of public financial problems to be placed solely on the shoulders of people," he explained. "I expect that the funds we gave up will be devoted to creating new jobs for the young," he added. Židan emphasized his satisfaction with the consent in adopting the measures. "The measures for 2015 are not interfering with social rights, e.g. child benefits, or unemployment benefits," he explained – thus the same amount will be intended for this purpose as this year, i.e. 1,300,000 euro. He added that today the government adopted also the starting points for a new social contract, and forwarded it to partners in ESC.
Government and union negotiators will meet on Thursday at 2 pm. for the first time. The time they have at their disposal to come to an agreement runs out at the end of the year, when the presently valid austerity measures cease to be in force. Unfreezing of salaries in the beginning of the new year would require more than 300 million euro of additional funds in the next year, without taking into account the additional reduction by 3% in reference to this year, foreseen by the budget for the next year – in that case the necessary amount is 440 million euro. The unions have already informed the government in advance that they have no intention of accepting any additional decrease.
T. H.
Translated by G. K.
