SLOVENIA: Public sector workers stage a general strike and thousands rally in Slovenia's capital Ljubljana over pay cuts announced by government

Record ID: 341070

  • Title: SLOVENIA: Public sector workers stage a general strike and thousands rally in Slovenia's capital Ljubljana over pay cuts announced by government
  • Date: 23rd January 2013
  • Summary: LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA (JANUARY 23, 2013) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS IN STREET CARRYING PICKET SIGNS AND TRADE UNION FLAGS CLOSE OF SIGN, READING "YOU ARE THE CRISIS" GROUP OF PROTESTERS HOLDING UP BANNERS AND SIGNS CLOSE OF SIGN READING "FOR ME, FOR YOU, FOR OUR CHILDREN" PROTESTER WITH SIGN READING "LET'S KEEP GOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLING" PROTESTERS IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Slovenian) L
  • Embargoed: 7th February 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Slovenia
  • Country: Slovenia
  • Topics: Economy,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA96894AONSMLK97DRRLKTCNLDB
  • Story Text: Around 100,000 public sector employees held a strike over pay cuts in Slovenia on Wednesday (January 23), with several thousands joining union protest rallies around the country.
    Some 5,000 gathered in Slovenia's capital Ljubljana, to demonstrate against plans to lay off state workers and cut wages by five percent this year, adding to a previous three percent cut introduced in 2012.
    "It is absolutely not true that we have to agree to pay cuts and layoffs because there is no money. There is no money for the public sector because the government had reduced profit tax rates for companies, because profit is more important than jobs in the public sector," said the leader of the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions, Branimir Strukelj, at the rally in Ljubljana.
    The conservative government led by Prime Minister Janez Jansa had announced cuts in an attempt to reduce the budget shortfall to around 3 percent of national output, from 4.2 percent last year.
    Hit by falling demand for its exports, the Alpine country is battling to stabilise its public finances and reassure markets to avoid becoming the latest member of the euro zone to seek an international bailout.
    "There is no money in the public sector because the government is incapable of creating new jobs, because it is only willing to destroy jobs instead of creating them," Strukelj said, adding: "There is no money, because the political elite, together with the owners (of companies), has been stealing from public (sector) funds for years."
    Around 14,000 employees in the metals and electronics industries were also on a strike, demanding wage increases of up to 7.5 percent.
    Many get by on barely more than the monthly minimum wage of 784 euros.
    "It hurts me that we have to go on strike, because we have been working honestly all our lives. We have put in an effort, we work day and night so to speak, we have been saving (money) all our lives, and now they ask us to be even more frugal. That is very difficult," the primary school teacher, Tatjana Furja, said.
    Meanwhile, the government is on the ropes over a corruption scandal that could strip the ruling coalition of its majority in parliament.
    The junior partner in the conservative coalition, the Civic List, is promising to quit the alliance unless Prime Minister Janez Jansa resigns over a recent corruption scandal.
    Jansa has been named in a report by an anti-corruption commission, which said he was unable to explain the source of some of his income.
    Jansa has denied wrongdoing and refuses to quit.
    "People must tell the arrogant government that they have had enough of imaginary austerity, which is really a robbery of public funds, and that they (citizens) need some development concept which will guarantee jobs and show some light at the end of the tunnel," pensioner Matjaz Hanzek said.
    The public sector strike closed almost all schools, kindergartens and universities in the country of 2 million, while hospitals were offering only limited care with reduced staff.
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