REPRESENTATIVES of trade unions and the Labour Ministry have failed to agree on the amount by which the salaries of people working in state and public administrations will increase next year. While the ministry proposes a 1.7-percent increase, which amounts to €13 or €13.5 per month, the trade union proposes a rise at 4.2 percent, the SITA newswire reported on October 7.
Though trade unionists did not accept the ministry’s offer, they welcomed that the state increased its original offer to hike the salaries by 0.7 percentage points, said spokesperson for the Confederation of Trade Unions (KOZ) Martina Nemethová. She did not specify by which amount they would be willing to decrease their demand, saying everything depends on agreements.
The hike in salaries of public servants would increase budget expenses by €76.7 million, with municipalities covering €19 million of this amount. According to state secretary of the Labour Ministry Bratislav Ondruš, the ministry will now wait for the municipalities to indicate whether they will be able to handle such an increase in expenses.
The state secretaries of the Labour Ministry will also meet with their colleagues from the Interior, Health, Education and Finance Ministries to see whether there will be room for a further increase in the proposed salary hike. Yet, the 4.2-percent hike proposed by trade unions is not realistic, Ondruš told SITA.
Salaries in the public sector have been frozen since 2010. According to Nemethová, the pay rise would apply to some 343,000 individuals, the TASR newswire wrote.
Source: SITA, TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
