On Sunday, January 15, RTV Slovenia aired a report by journalist Petra Držaj in which she showed that Revoz can’t find 500 workers willing to work the night shift, even though the employment office asked more than 11,000 people whether they would be willing to work there.

The author of the Kostin mozeg blog offers a glimpse into what a typical workday looks like for a Revoz employee. In a blog post published in late 2016, the blogger explains that the work pace is frantic, every move is calculated down to the second, workers are entitled to one 30-minute lunch break, and they are allowed to take two 5-minute bathroom breaks. Each step of the assembly process is meticulously documented, every mistake is logged, and the supervisor never fails to remind the workers that they have made too many mistakes. Gross pay is 793 euros per month (not including pay supplements). Therefore, these employees are not likely to return when Revoz needs them again, and in the meantime they often find work elsewhere. News portal Žurnal24 reported in 2015 that temporary workers working through recruitment agencies live in constant fear of being fired for taking sick leave. Thus, these workers come to work even when they are sick.

Revoz stays mum
We asked Revoz whether they have considered increasing their employees’ salaries, but we never received an answer. However, Slavko Pungeršič, the head of the in-house union, told us that new employees start out earning 800 euros gross per month (or 910 euros including pay supplements), which works out to about 600 euros net. According to Pungeršič, employees working the night shift earn 1300 euros gross. Temporary workers working through recruitment agencies earn the same amount, but they do lose out on job promotions and bonus pay.

"We think that around 300 workers are ready to start working for us, they have passed all the necessary tests, but they have yet to receive training," said Pungeršič. He said people are not very keen on these jobs because they know they have to work hard for their money; moreover, the economic outlook for the region has changed. Since Revoz is now producing more vehicles, its nearby suppliers have also seen a significant increase in orders. As a result, people are more likely to find a job with one of these suppliers. Recruitment agencies are another problem, as they offer little in the way of security.

Issue of agency workers needs to be addressed
Pungeršič said that there is a high turnover rate among agency workers (15 to 20 percent). "They leave if they get a better job offer down the line. They believe they have no future at this company. That’s a problem because we always need to train new employees," said Pungeršič, stressing that the company will sooner or later have to address the issue of agency workers. He is adamant that in the long run, agency workers are not the solution.

Goran Lukić of the Counselling Office for Migrants agrees that recruitment agencies are a problem. He said that if it is true that temporary workers and permanent workers have the same rights, then Revoz should hire everyone on a permanent contract instead of paying these agencies a commission. He believes that it all boils down to the fact that companies are willing to pay more for a workforce that is flexible.

Pungeršič said that while the employment office did contact more than 11,000 unemployed people, many of these are old, disabled etc. "Some of these people also receive benefits and they feel that the job is not worth their while. Some agency workers do decide to work for Revoz again, especially those who have worked for the company for at least a year or two. On the other hand, those who find a permanent job are not likely to work for Revoz again," stressed Pungeršič.

Employment office decides to help a recruitment agency
Lukić sees another problem here: The employment office decided to help a recruitment agency. The employment office contacted prospective workers and told them that they should sign a contract with a recruitment agency – despite the fact that employment offices and recruitment agencies are rival organizations.

We asked the National Employment Office whether or not they agree that there is a conflict of interest here, and whether they charged a commission for their services: "The National Employment Office of Slovenia is a public institution. Our goal is to help unemployed people find jobs. Moreover, our purpose is to help employers find workers. We see no conflict of interest in helping a recruitment agency; quite the contrary, we believe it’s our job to help them find the right workers. Therefore, we don’t charge for our services," they said in their reply.

Andrej Čebokli: translated by D. V.