FinMin Failed to Agree with Unions on Valorisation Due to Need to Consolidate

Bratislava, July 16 (TASR) - Since the very beginning of the collective bargaining, the Finance Ministry has been pointing to the fact that the public finances are in very bad condition, with the worst deficit from all the EU countries and with high debt growth during 2020-2023, the ministry said on Tuesday in reaction to the Trade Union Confederation (KOZ), demanding valorisation of salaries in public administration. "Despite this, the Finance Ministry today offered a solution that would contribute to maintaining the achieved social standard of civil service and public administration employees in the form of a guaranteed bonus for each employee amounting to €500 in 2025 and €1,000 in 2026," said the ministry's press department. According to the ministry, this money could contribute to cushioning the effects of the expected inflation rate and maintaining the social standard of employees. It pointed to the necessity of unprecedented consolidation that must annually reach some 1 percent of GDP, which amounts to €1.4 billion this year. "The Finance Ministry has been striving to find consensus with unionists on the remuneration of public sector employees since April," said the ministry, adding that the negotiations with trade unions will continue in late August. KOZ declared a strike alert on Tuesday, as unionists failed to agree with representatives of the government on the valorisation of salaries in the state and public administration. In addition to standard requirements, trade unions demanded valorisation of salaries by 10 percent as of September 1, 2024 and by an additional 10 percent as of January 2025. ko/mcs