[Croatia] Trade unions protest ‘anti-worker’ labour act

In Croatia, a new version of the labour act discussed in parliament has led to protests by trade unions, civil society organisations and left-leaning political parties, Peoples Dispatch reports.

On October 21, protesters gathered in front of the government's headquarters under the banner “Za radnički ZOR”; an initiative for a workers’ labour act. The initiative warns against the negative effects of the new law, which it says would open the door to more precarious forms of employment and uncontrolled overtime work and weaken some trade unions’ positions.

The Croatian government reportedly introduced the proposal under the pretext of adapting national legislation to new EU directives, which reflect conditions encountered during the pandemic. It is formally intended to regulate employers’ responsibilities towards employees working from home, as well as offer basic protection to platform workers. However, trade unionists Marina Palčić  - from Nezavisni sindikat radnika Hrvatske (Independent Trade Union of Workers of Croatia) - and Denis Geto from Tehnos warned that these aims would not be fulfilled by the proposed act.

Croatia is one of the members of the European Union with the highest rates of precarious employment. In 2020, the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute reported that more than 20 per cent of all workers were employed on temporary contracts. In 2019, according to Eurostat data, almost 6 per cent of workers in Croatia had a short-term contract – lasting up to 3 months – making the country the worst performer in the entire EU. 

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that the new labour act was going to address this problem, however, in practice it still reportedly leaves plenty of wriggle room for employers to avoid providing long-term employment to workers.

Platform work is a new form of precarious employment in Croatia. Recent years have seen a rise in the number of workers employed through agencies and platforms such as Bolt, Glovo, etc. Other EU states faced this challenge by trying to structure the field and ensuring that the platforms bear at least some responsibility for working conditions yet this has not been the case in Croatia.

The proposed labour act would reportedly provide platform workers with no protection. Some would never know who employs them, let alone who is responsible for guaranteeing a decent level of rights. This would have a particularly negative impact on migrant workers who make up a large part of the delivery platforms’ workforce, Mario Iveković - of Novi sindikat (New Union) - said.

Mr Iveković said the new code demonstrated the government’s bias towards employers and their interests. “This is an anti-workers labor act. And what we need is either a labor act that protects workers’ rights or a new, pro-workers government,” he said during the protest.

The new law would give employers in all sectors further opportunities for imposing overtime and prolonging working hours. It would also radically alter the possibilities of organising in trade unions. The current proposal reportedly favours large trade unions by stating that rights secured through collective bargaining will only apply to members of the trade unions taking part in the process. 

Existing legislation makes it extremely difficult for all but a select few trade unions and confederations to do so.

Trade unions big enough to engage in collective bargaining in the country are also the ones who tend to be more bureaucratic and less active on the ground. While smaller trade unions like the members of “Za radnički ZOR,” are often said to be initiators of new organising drives and industrial action.

Changes introduced by the new labour act are likely to lead workers to opt for large, passive trade unions over smaller, active ones in order to protect a minimum level of rights. Protest organisers warned that, in the long term, this would rob small trade unions of membership, while workers could only count on minimalistic collective agreements. 

The government reportedly continues to ignore the initiative’s requests for discussing the new law but trade unions present at the protest said they are determined to secure a better piece of legislation; at the negotiating table or on the streets. 

“If collective bargaining fails us once again, collective action will not. Social unrest will be our answer to this flawed interpretation of social dialogue”, Tomislav Kiš said.

Source: Peoples Dispatch

(Quotes via original reporting)

In Croatia, a new version of the labour act discussed in parliament has led to protests by trade unions, civil society organisations and left-leaning political parties, Peoples Dispatch reports.

On October 21, protesters gathered in front of the government's headquarters under the banner “Za radnički ZOR”; an initiative for a workers’ labour act. The initiative warns against the negative effects of the new law, which it says would open the door to more precarious forms of employment and uncontrolled overtime work and weaken some trade unions’ positions.

The Croatian government reportedly introduced the proposal under the pretext of adapting national legislation to new EU directives, which reflect conditions encountered during the pandemic. It is formally intended to regulate employers’ responsibilities towards employees working from home, as well as offer basic protection to platform workers. However, trade unionists Marina Palčić  - from Nezavisni sindikat radnika Hrvatske (Independent Trade Union of Workers of Croatia) - and Denis Geto from Tehnos warned that these aims would not be fulfilled by the proposed act.

Croatia is one of the members of the European Union with the highest rates of precarious employment. In 2020, the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute reported that more than 20 per cent of all workers were employed on temporary contracts. In 2019, according to Eurostat data, almost 6 per cent of workers in Croatia had a short-term contract – lasting up to 3 months – making the country the worst performer in the entire EU. 

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that the new labour act was going to address this problem, however, in practice it still reportedly leaves plenty of wriggle room for employers to avoid providing long-term employment to workers.

Platform work is a new form of precarious employment in Croatia. Recent years have seen a rise in the number of workers employed through agencies and platforms such as Bolt, Glovo, etc. Other EU states faced this challenge by trying to structure the field and ensuring that the platforms bear at least some responsibility for working conditions yet this has not been the case in Croatia.

The proposed labour act would reportedly provide platform workers with no protection. Some would never know who employs them, let alone who is responsible for guaranteeing a decent level of rights. This would have a particularly negative impact on migrant workers who make up a large part of the delivery platforms’ workforce, Mario Iveković - of Novi sindikat (New Union) - said.

Mr Iveković said the new code demonstrated the government’s bias towards employers and their interests. “This is an anti-workers labor act. And what we need is either a labor act that protects workers’ rights or a new, pro-workers government,” he said during the protest.

The new law would give employers in all sectors further opportunities for imposing overtime and prolonging working hours. It would also radically alter the possibilities of organising in trade unions. The current proposal reportedly favours large trade unions by stating that rights secured through collective bargaining will only apply to members of the trade unions taking part in the process. 

Existing legislation makes it extremely difficult for all but a select few trade unions and confederations to do so.

Trade unions big enough to engage in collective bargaining in the country are also the ones who tend to be more bureaucratic and less active on the ground. While smaller trade unions like the members of “Za radnički ZOR,” are often said to be initiators of new organising drives and industrial action.

Changes introduced by the new labour act are likely to lead workers to opt for large, passive trade unions over smaller, active ones in order to protect a minimum level of rights. Protest organisers warned that, in the long term, this would rob small trade unions of membership, while workers could only count on minimalistic collective agreements. 

The government reportedly continues to ignore the initiative’s requests for discussing the new law but trade unions present at the protest said they are determined to secure a better piece of legislation; at the negotiating table or on the streets. 

“If collective bargaining fails us once again, collective action will not. Social unrest will be our answer to this flawed interpretation of social dialogue”, Tomislav Kiš said.

Source: Peoples Dispatch

(Quotes via original reporting)