Unions and Employers Reach Agreement on Wage Rises

Ljubljana, 22 May

Representatives of employers and private sector trade unions wrapped up on Thursday negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement for 2008 and 2009. The document is expected to be singed on 30 May.

The agreement envisages a minimum holiday allowance of EUR 665, a 5.2% basic wage rise for 2007, and a 3.9% and 2.3% rise of starting and minimum wages in August 2008 and 2009 respectively.
Dusan Semolic of the Association of Free Trade Unions of Slovenia (ZSSS) told the press that a correction of base wages will first need to be made for 2007. A 3.9% rise in starting and minimum wages is to come in August this year, which is to be followed by an additional increase in January next year if inflation exceeds 4.55%.
In August next year, starting and minimum wages are to rise by 2.3%, to be followed in January 2010 by the difference between 2.7% and actual inflation.
The collective agreement also contains guidelines or criteria, which are to be considered in productivity related issues in negotiations on collective agreements for individual sectors.
Semolic described this as a step forward, even though the unions wanted productivity to be acknowledged automatically. "It is still a step forward, since productivity has become a part of the system," he said.
Secretary general of the Employers' Association Joze Smole said that the employers were very satisfied with the agreement. According to him, they demonstrated a lot of responsibility and made it possible for the system of collective agreements to continue functioning.

Unions and Employers Reach Agreement on Wage Rises

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